Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2008

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

The veteran's service is not qualifying for VA pension benefits, and the appellant did not file a claim for accrued benefits within one year of his death. The claims are denied.

The Board found insufficient evidence of in-service stressors for PTSD and no credible supporting evidence that the veteran's current conditions are related to service. The diagnoses of hypertension and cardiac disorder with stents were also not supported by sufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records from Dr. Jenkins and arranging for a VA cardiologist to review the complete medical record.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension due to a lack of relevant medical evidence from his active military service period.

The veteran's claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities is remanded for further development, including a VA examination and consideration of the evidence.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and pulmonary tuberculosis as the evidence did not show these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, low back disability, and bursitis due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The veteran seeks service connection for hypertension, which he claims is secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The VA examination found that the hypertension was less likely than not caused by or aggravated by the diabetes mellitus.

The Board found that new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim of service connection for coronary artery disease with angina and uncontrolled hypertension, thus denying the reopening of the claim.

The veteran's angina pectoris with hypertension and sinus tachycardia is not rated higher than the current 30 percent disability rating.,The veteran's bilateral tinnitus has been assigned a single 10 percent disability rating, which is the maximum allowed under VA rating criteria. The RO denied his request for an earlier effective date for service connection of tinnitus.

The veteran's claims for a heart condition and hypertension were denied. His PTSD was granted with initial ratings of 50% effective July 12, 2004, and 70% effective January 31, 2007.

The Board has ordered the RO to obtain a VA psychiatrist's opinion on whether the veteran's hypertension is caused or aggravated by his service-connected dysthymia. Additionally, the RO must develop and adjudicate the claim for service connection of hypertension as secondary to all of the veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that it was not incurred or aggravated by his military service and there is no evidence of a relationship to his diabetes mellitus.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board found that the veteran's psychiatric disability was not caused by VA treatment, but new evidence suggests it may have been aggravated by a stressful incident at a VA dental clinic. The claim is reopened as there is new and material evidence.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension did not manifest during service or within one year of separation, and there was no evidence to support a presumption of service connection. The VA examiner concluded that the veteran's current hypertension is unrelated to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty, and is not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, as his blood pressure readings have consistently been below the threshold for higher ratings.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for hypertension, right renal calculi, and Hepatitis C due to additional development being required. The issues include service connection for hypertension (secondary), a higher evaluation for right renal calculi, and an increased rating for Hepatitis C.