Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2003

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly consider the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a low back disorder, and hypertension. The RO will obtain complete service medical records and any relevant personnel records from the service department, as well as post-service medical records. They will also schedule the veteran for VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for hypertension and found that new and material evidence had been submitted. The claim is now considered on its merits.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for hypertension, finding that there is no legal merit to the claim as it pertains to compensation purposes. The issue remains on appeal.

The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disorder, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. The veteran's gout was rated at 40 percent based on its active process.

The Board has determined that the veteran's heart disorder and hypertension are related to his active service, leading to a grant of service connection for both conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and a need for further development.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals found that the veteran does not have hypertension and therefore, it was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, hypertension, and hiatal hernia with gastrointestinal reflux disease and history of peptic ulcer disease due to new evidence presented. However, the Board did not find that these conditions are related to service.

The Board has granted a higher initial evaluation of 40 percent for the service-connected diabetes mellitus, effective from February 2001. The issue of an increased rating for hypertension remains pending.

The Board has granted secondary service connection for the veteran's polycystic kidney disease, finding that it was aggravated by his service-connected hypertension and PTSD. The other issues remain unresolved.

The veteran's claim for service connection for polysubstance abuse is denied as it falls under a legal prohibition due to the nature of the condition.

The Board found that the appellant's heart disease and hypertension did not manifest within one year after separation from active military service, nor were they incurred or aggravated by any incident of active military service. Therefore, the claims for service connection for both conditions are denied.

The Board found that the appellant's left knee disorder, back injury, cervical myositis, bilateral varicose veins, hypertension, and bilateral hearing loss are not service-connected. The assigned disability ratings for his left knee disorder were upheld at 10 percent.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disorder, including congestive heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy with syncope and high blood pressure. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete documentation and needs further evaluation of the veteran's lung mass and hypertension claims.

The Board has determined that it is at least as likely as not that the appellant's diagnosed multi-joint pain is related to Desert Shield/Storm service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board finds that the evidence is in relative equipoise regarding whether the veteran's hypertension, esophageal reflux disease, hiatal hernia, and teeth enamel erosion are proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder.,Therefore, the claims for these conditions have been granted as secondary to PTSD.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for headaches, bilateral hearing loss, residuals of left inguinal hernia repair, residuals of postoperative nasal septoplasty, and bilateral renal nephrocalcinosis with hypertension. The preponderance of evidence did not support a higher rating in any of these cases.

The Board denied service connection for cause of the veteran's death due to lack of evidence linking hypertension, dysentery, and beriberi (to include beriberi heart disease) to service. The appellant is also not entitled to accrued benefits as no claims were pending at the time of the veteran's death.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, which he claims is secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The appeal will be remanded for further development and consideration.