Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2002

The Board denied all service connection claims as the veteran did not have active military service in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations during the Persian Gulf War, and there is no clinical evidence of any claimed conditions following his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's coronary artery disease and hypertension were not incurred or aggravated during service, as there was no valid medical evidence supporting this claim. The submission of false records by the veteran reduced their credibility.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and nose bleeds, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions were incurred during military service.

The Board found that the veteran's coronary artery disease and hypertension were not incurred or aggravated by wartime service, may not be presumed to have been due to service-connected PTSD, and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, psychiatric disorders, and residuals of a head injury as there was no evidence linking these conditions to his period of active service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension and headaches were not incurred or aggravated by his military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and coronary artery disease, secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The evidence does not establish a direct or presumptive relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating, as his diastolic pressure was predominantly less than 100 and his systolic pressure was predominantly below 200. The VA examinations showed stable blood pressure readings.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of malaria, hypertension, and arthritis as they were not well-grounded.

The Board has granted a rating of 60 percent for the veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine effective September 11, 2000.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) has determined that the veteran's death was not caused by a disability incurred or aggravated during his military service, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board has granted a 20 percent disability rating for hypertension, effective from the date of the decision.

The Board found that the appellant's current heart disorder, including hypertension, left bundle branch block, and cardiomyopathy, was not incurred or aggravated during his periods of active duty for training. The claim is denied.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and postoperative residuals of coronary artery disease, finding that additional evidence may be relevant to these issues. The case is returned to the RO for further development.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, to include hypertension, and granted it. The issues of service connection for other conditions are also addressed.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current hemorrhoids and that his hypertension, while requiring ongoing medication, does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation under VA's rating schedule. Therefore, service connection for hemorrhoids is denied, and a compensable evaluation for hypertension is also denied.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension and major depression with agoraphobia were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor are they etiologically related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected hypertension warrants a 20 percent evaluation, effective from the date of the July 1999 rating decision. The veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board found that the veteran's in-service dizzy spells were manifestations of tension headaches, and denied service connection for cardiovascular disease, to include essential hypertension, and sleep apnea. The claims for reopening DM with peripheral neuropathy and DLE were also denied as new evidence did not meet the criteria for being material.

The Board denied service connection for chronic hypertension, finding that the veteran does not currently have a current disability. The Board also denied higher ratings for TOS of the upper extremities.