Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2008

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of the veteran's current cardiovascular disabilities, including hypertension and supraventricular tachycardia. The case will be reviewed again after additional clinical opinion is obtained.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for GERD, an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, and increased ratings for his bilateral hip and knee strains. The veteran's hypertension was assigned a 10% rating.

The veteran's hypertension is currently rated at 10 percent, and the evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by military service, nor may it be presumed to have been incurred therein. The Board also determined that the hypertension is unrelated to a service-connected disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, left hip disability, and diabetes mellitus. The decision found that there was no new and material evidence presented to reopen these claims, and that the veteran's conditions were not incurred or aggravated by active military service.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims due to incomplete medical records and the need for further examination. The issues of service connection for CAD, hypertension, and GERD are on appeal.

The Board denied service connection for flat feet with fallen arches, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. The decision found no causal relationship between these conditions and active service.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and assigned a noncompensable rating effective February 22, 2005. The veteran's hypertension is currently manifested by diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more requiring continuous medication.

The veteran is seeking service connection for hypertension, which he contends was caused or aggravated by his service-connected schizophrenia. The Board has ordered a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the veteran's hypertension.

The Board has granted a rating of 20 percent for the veteran's service-connected left knee disorder, effective from January 25, 2007. The issues regarding neck injury and hypertension have been addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain missing service treatment records, private audiological examination reports, and VA treatment records. The veteran's claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension are currently under review.

The veteran's anxiety disorder, NOS is found to have been incurred in service. Service connection for hypertension is granted as secondary to PTSD.

The veteran's hypertension was not incurred in service and is not presumed to have been incurred due to military service.,The veteran has not been shown to currently have GERD that is causally related to his military service.,PTSD does not meet the criteria for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent.

The veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, vision loss, peripheral neuropathy, and kidney disorder are remanded due to the need to determine if he was exposed to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam.

The Board found that there is no competent evidence of a current prostate disorder and denied the veteran's claims for service connection based on exposure to ionizing radiation. The claims for hypertension and heart disease were also denied.

The veteran's PTSD was granted a 70 percent rating from November 24, 2004 onwards. His hypertension secondary to PTSD is also granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected generalized anxiety disorder is at least as likely as not to have caused or aggravated his hypertension and coronary artery disease, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran.

The Board has ordered additional development due to the need for a medical opinion regarding the relationship between the veteran's hypertension and pulmonary tuberculosis, which may be related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions of depression, hypertension, and asthma were not incurred or aggravated by active military service. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU rating under either the percentage or extraschedular standards.