Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2006

The veteran's PTSD is service connected. His heart disease and hypertension are not service connected, but his dermatitis of the hands warrants a 10% rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board found no evidence of service connection for the claimed conditions, including COPD, hypertension, arthritis, dysthymic disorder, peptic ulcer disease, polyarthralgia, and hypothyroidism. The veteran's service medical records did not show any complaints or treatment related to these conditions.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating of 10 percent for service-connected hypertension before the Board could make a decision.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension is not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, central retinal vein occlusion with macular edema and hypertensive retinopathy of the right eye as secondary to hypertension, and the degree of aggravation of an anxiety disorder attributable to a service-connected left knee disability.

The Board finds that the veteran's hypertension, which required medication within a year of service, may be presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, sinusitis, and chronic headaches. The evidence did not support a finding of in-service disease or injury related to these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of March 21, 2001 for his nonservice-connected pension benefits due to a lack of evidence showing he was incapacitated within one year prior to filing the claim.

The Board finds that the veteran's service-connected osteomyelitis may not be ruled out as a cause or contributing cause of his death from cardiopulmonary failure and lung cancer, thus granting service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board denied service connection for pancreatitis and hypertension, finding that the medical evidence did not support a relationship to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right shoulder disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating during any of the periods under consideration.

The Board denied service connection for cause of the veteran's death and determined that the appellant was not entitled to accrued benefits.

The VA has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a hypertension examination to determine the severity of the veteran's condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence to decide the claim, including a need for an opinion on whether the veteran's service from March 1943 to February 1946 aggravated his pre-existing hypertension.

The Board has ordered remand of the veteran's claims for service connection for adenocarcinoma of the prostate and essential hypertension due to incomplete review of the claims file, particularly regarding in-service treatment records.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for hypertension (reopening of a previously denied claim), right thumb scars, and residuals of inguinal herniorrhaphy. The decision on the issue of service connection for bilateral knee disability was not provided.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension did not meet the criteria for a higher initial disability rating, as his blood pressure readings were consistently below the threshold required for a 20% rating under Diagnostic Code 7101.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical examinations and records, particularly regarding hypertension, renal failure, and any heart murmur.

The Board has ordered additional development due to the need for records from VA medical centers and private doctors, as well as clarification of service connection theory.