Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2007

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing at the RO. The issues of service connection for various conditions are under review.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and remanded it to the RO for further development, including a VA examination.

The veteran's service connection claim for fibromyalgia, manifested by joint pain, is granted. The remaining issues are remanded due to the need for proper VCAA notice and further medical examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran is entitled to a 10 percent rating for hypertension, effective from November 19, 2001. The initial rating of 30 percent for coronary artery disease remains unchanged.

The Board found that the veteran's breathing problems were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and denied his claims for increased ratings of left knee condition and PTSD.

The Board denied the petition to reopen the claim for service connection for PTSD and found that there is no competent medical evidence linking any of the claimed disabilities, including PTSD, kidney disability, liver disability, or hypertension, to service. The veteran's claims were not granted.

The Board has determined that further development is needed for the veteran's claims of service connection due to radiation exposure, asbestos exposure, and other conditions. The case is being remanded for additional examinations and opinions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for skin cancer (melanoma) and hypertension, finding no evidence of current disabilities or a link to service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not constitute an employment handicap, and therefore he is not entitled to vocational rehabilitation training under Chapter 31 of Title 38, United States Code.

The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer with an effective date of April 17, 2003. The veteran's claim for earlier effective dates was denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of hepatitis, a kidney disorder, and hypertension as there is no current evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran is entitled to service connection for headaches as secondary to his service-connected hypertension.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension, claudication in both legs, and pseudofolliculitis barbae. The veteran was also denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral pes planus and a compensable rating for migraine type headaches.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension did not manifest within one year of his separation from service and thus could not be presumed to have been incurred in service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension but denied service connection for sinusitis. The decision is mixed as it grants one claim and denies another.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current diagnoses for several of his claimed conditions, and thus service connection is denied. The remaining claims are also denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate notice provided to the veteran regarding what constitutes new and material evidence for reopening his claim of service connection for hypertension secondary to sinusitis.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims due to a need for additional development, including scheduling an examination.

The veteran's appeals for service connection on the issues of hypertension, headaches, sprain/tendonitis of the left ankle, hearing loss, and respiratory disorder as due to an undiagnosed illness were dismissed because she did not timely file a substantive appeal. The Board does not have jurisdiction over these matters.