Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2008

The veteran's claimed headaches and hypertension are not service-connected. The Board found no evidence of a head injury in service, and the current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for service connection.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing at the Honolulu, Hawaii RO. The issues of service connection for low back disability, jaw injury residuals, and hypertension are pending.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim and determined that new evidence supports a finding of service connection for low back disability, cervical spine disorder, hip disorder, left hand nerve damage, generalized arthritis, hypertension, psychiatric disorder, bilateral knee disability, digestive disorder, and foot disability. The conditions are presumed to have been aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension and low back disability were not incurred in or aggravated by service, and may not be presumed to have been so incurred. Therefore, these claims are denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for hemorrhoids, hypertension, and left knee disorder as his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings under the applicable rating schedule.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, arteriosclerotic heart disease, hypertension, and basal cell carcinoma. The appeals were based on direct service connection rather than herbicide exposure.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his request for withdrawal of the appeals with regard to the claims for service connection for residuals of back surgery and an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, lower extremity disability, and pension benefits due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The veteran was found not permanently and totally disabled from non-service connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that hypertension and coronary artery disease are not related to the service-connected diabetes mellitus, thus denying both claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for benign prostatic hypertrophy, hypertension, and degenerative osteoarthritis due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that there is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's current conditions to his service, including exposure to asbestos or ionizing radiation. As such, the claims for service connection have been denied.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted a 10% rating. However, his service connection claim for hypertension is denied as there is no evidence of its onset in service or due to any other presumptive basis.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for hypertension and hernia, as well as his claim for service connection for GERD were all denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a grant of service connection for GERD.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension did not begin during service or become manifest to a compensable degree within one year of discharge, and there is no evidence showing it was caused by his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The claim for secondary service connection is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and a respiratory disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for hypertension, headaches, chest and shoulder pain, spondylolisthesis, bilateral hearing loss, and hemorrhoids. The RO had previously granted service connection for these conditions but did not assign compensable disability ratings.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his medical records and examination to determine the current severity of his hypertension and right knee disabilities. The TDIU claim will be reconsidered.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's bilateral cataracts to his military service and denied this claim. The hypertension issue remains pending.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and initial rating for various conditions, including bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis, residuals of a left ankle strain, reactive airway disease (hypertension), residuals of a contusion of the left thigh, residuals of a left elbow injury, residuals of a left thumb injury, and low back pain. The veteran's service connection claims were denied as there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.