Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2004

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service medical records and VA treatment records. The veteran's claims for reopening a claim for sinus tachycardia and for service connection for hypertension are both denied.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, right internal carotid artery stenosis, and residuals of a stroke. The evidence did not show these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, left leg disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease, asbestosis, and hypertension. The decision also noted that new evidence did not reopen claims for pes planus and arthritis.

The Board has remanded the case due to failure to provide proper VCAA notice and development.

The veteran's claims for service connection for chronic low back disability and hypertension are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service and is not presumed to have been incurred due to a specific exposure. The cause of death listed on the certificate was cardiorespiratory arrest due to cerebrovascular accident, which was attributed to hypertension. As there was no evidence showing service connection for any disability at the time of the veteran's death, the Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death and the claims for accrued benefits and death pension benefits.

The Board denied the claims of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 due to lack of entitlement.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected muscle impairment of the left leg due to a gunshot wound caused or contributed substantially or materially to cause his death, and that service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is warranted. The appellant meets the eligibility criteria for Chapter 35 education benefits.

The veteran's claims for service connection for generalized anxiety disorder with chronic dysthymia and hypertension are being remanded to the RO for additional development.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a TDIU based on CUE in prior RO rating decisions, as there was no clear and unmistakable error that would have changed the outcome.

The Board found that the veteran's current low back, left leg, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus disabilities did not originate during active service or within one year thereof, and are not otherwise related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and premature ventricular contractions, finding that isolated high blood pressure readings did not result in a diagnosis of hypertension in service, and that such condition was not shown to be due to service. Premature ventricular contractions were also not objectively shown post-service.

The Board has remanded the case due to pending issues and need for additional evidence, including clarification of a pending line of duty appeal and scheduling of a VA examination for tinea pedis.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, a lumbosacral spine disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, fibromyalgia, and major depressive disorder.

The Board found no evidence of gastric ulcers or hypertension in service and denied the veteran's claims for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service medical records and determining if cardiovascular-renal disease, including hypertension, was present during active service or within a year of discharge.

The Board determined that the veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected condition, and denied the claim for cause of death.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and congestive heart failure as secondary to the veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to his diabetes.

The veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for PTSD, lumbosacral strain, hypertension, and post-traumatic headaches have been dismissed as the veteran withdrew his appeal in January 2004.

The Board found that the July 1999 rating decision did not involve CUE in failing to establish separate ratings for left knee arthritis and residuals of left knee medial meniscectomy. The veteran's combined disability rating under appropriate diagnostic codes at that time warranted no more than a 30 percent rating.