Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2003

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and eligibility for dependents' educational assistance under Chapter 35 due to lack of evidence linking the conditions to military service.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for hypertension, currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have hypertension or gout that is related to his military service and therefore denied both claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a shell fragment wound of the right hip, PTSD, rotoscoliosis with lumbosacral strain, degenerative disc disease and spondylosis of the lumbar spine, and hypertension. The appeals were based on direct evidence rather than any presumption or secondary service connection.

The veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the cervical spine and shoulders, unspecified disabilities due to gas chamber exposure, mustard gas, tear gas, Agent Orange, radiation exposure, drug experimentation and human experimentation, hypertensive cardiovascular disease (hypertension), lung disability and density, acute situational maladjustment - paranoid personality disorder, and radiation colitis have been denied. The claims for service connection for headaches were reopened.

The Board has found that the veteran's essential hypertension may be presumed to have been incurred in service due to its onset within a year of separation from active duty. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen claims for migraine headaches, breathing problems, skin irritation, and eye problems including as due to undiagnosed illness is addressed.

The veteran's service-connected ascending aortic dissection repair and aortic valve replacement disability causes significant limitations on his daily activities, necessitating sedentary or part-time labor.

The VA determined that the appellant does not meet the criteria for special monthly pension by reason of need for aid and attendance or being housebound due to his multiple disabilities, which he manages independently.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension and PTSD. The hypertension claim was dismissed due to a lack of timely appeal, while the PTSD claim was denied as there was no credible supporting evidence that the claimed stressors actually occurred.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for vocational rehabilitation services under Chapter 31, Title 38, United States Code because his service-connected hypertension did not prevent him from preparing for, obtaining, or maintaining employment consistent with his abilities, aptitudes, and interests.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension and abdominal pain were incurred during his active service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran.

The Board denied the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to lack of new and material evidence, as no such evidence was submitted since the previous final decision in 1989.

The Board found that the veteran's current heart disorders are not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for hypertension was denied. The RO granted a 10 percent rating effective September 6, 2000.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for lumbosacral strain, service connection for hypertension, and reopening of a claim for service connection for anxiety neurosis. The decision also noted that new and material evidence had been received to reopen the claim for anxiety neurosis.

The Board granted service connection for hypertension and assigned an initial rating of 10 percent.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension existed prior to his active duty service and was not aggravated during such service, thus denying the claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, finding that the veteran's hypertension had its onset several years post-service and is not related to his military service. Service connection was denied for memory loss claimed as due to an undiagnosed illness.

The Board has dismissed the veteran's appeal for entitlement to service connection for hypertension due to a lack of timely receipt of a substantive appeal. The issues of compensable ratings for bursitis of the right hip, degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, and residuals of a right spontaneous pneumothorax are remanded for further development.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for hypertension has been dismissed due to his death.