Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2002

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed disabilities are not service-connected due to a lack of credible evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board dismissed the appeals due to the appellant not filing an adequate substantive appeal within the required time frame.

The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals concerning service connection for tinnitus, residuals of arthroplasty of the right and left fifth toes, hypertension, a scar of the abdomen, as his response to the statement of the case did not allege any error in fact or law.

The veteran's claims for higher evaluations of his service-connected disabilities were denied due to failure to report for scheduled VA examinations. The Board found that the veteran had not provided good cause for missing these exams.

The veteran withdrew his appeal, so the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of the claims for service connection and higher evaluations.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension was incurred during active military service and grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension existed prior to service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it was determined that the condition was not incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board determined that the RO had legal justification for severing the prior grant of service connection for the veteran's pituitary adenoma, hypertension, obesity, and multiple arthralgias secondary to his already service-connected Boeke's sarcoidosis.

The veteran's disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for aid and attendance or being housebound.

The Board has granted a 60 percent rating for the veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine disorder and determined that he is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities, meeting the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board denied the reopening of the veteran's claims for service connection for pterygium and hypertension, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension existed prior to his entry into service and was not aggravated by active service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for hypertension is denied.

The Board has granted a 60 percent rating for the veteran's service-connected residuals of myocardial infarction with double vessel coronary artery bypass surgery due to hypertension, effective from April 4, 1997. The evidence shows that the veteran had a typical history of acute coronary occlusion or thrombosis and more than light manual labor was not feasible.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for nonservice-connected disability pension benefits, finding that there was no evidence of a prior informal claim or incapacitation preventing him from filing his initial claim.

The Board has determined that the appellant's service-connected psychophysiologic factors affecting physical condition superimposed on arterial hypertension with sinus tachycardia renders him demonstrably unable to obtain or retain employment, warranting a 100% disability rating.

The veteran withdrew all issues from appellate status, and the Board dismissed the appeal due to lack of jurisdiction.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current low back disability and that his hypertension is unrelated to any disease or injury in service. Therefore, both claims for service connection are denied.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claims of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for additional death pension benefits based on need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound due to her disabilities, finding that she does not meet the criteria for either benefit.

The VA denied the veteran's request for an increased rating for his service-connected hypertension, which is currently rated at 10 percent.