Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2008

The Board found that the appellant does not have a hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and did not find service connection for exogenous obesity, sleep apnea, hypertension, or hypogonadism due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and the need for further development under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.

The Board has determined that the evidence received since the February 1996 rating decision is not new and material, thus preventing the reopening of the claim for service connection for hypertension. The issue of entitlement to service connection for sinusitis remains pending.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and is not proximately due to a service-connected disorder. As such, the claim for service connection for hypertension is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis, vascular hypertension, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as there was no evidence of a current disability related to active service.

The Board has denied the veteran's service connection claims for hypertension, gout, lesion of the right oral buccal mucosa, and lipoma of the left shoulder as there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after active duty.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the veteran's hypertension was aggravated by his service-connected PTSD, and thus remands the case for a medical opinion.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of death and basic eligibility for nonservice-connected death pension benefits due to lack of qualifying service in active military, naval or air service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unemployable, and the Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension as secondary to his service-connected type 2 diabetes mellitus, finding that the veteran's nonservice-connected hypertension was aggravated by his service-connected disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for end-stage renal disease as secondary to hypertension and his claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that the veteran's renal disease was related to service or aggravated by his service-connected conditions.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including Panic Disorder, Hypertension with Headaches, Hemorrhoids, and a skin condition, do not render him unemployable considering his educational and occupational background.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and a need for a VA medical opinion regarding whether service-connected diverticulitis contributed substantially or materially to the veteran's death.

The veteran's disabilities, while disabling, do not meet the criteria for a total rating due to their combined effect. The Board finds that she is not unemployable by reason of her disabilities.

The veteran's case is being remanded to obtain additional VA records and to schedule a VA examination. The issues include an increased evaluation for diabetes mellitus, reopening of a claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity as secondary to diabetes mellitus, and service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left upper and bilateral lower extremities and hypertension as secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of aid and attendance benefits, finding that entitlement to such benefits was first demonstrated on August 11, 2005.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension, skin disability (other than cysts), sinus disability (including allergic rhinitis), residuals of a broken nose, and pes planus are not related to his active service. The low back disability is related to his active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension as new and material evidence was not presented to reopen these previously denied claims.

The veteran's paresthesia to the left hand and fingers, secondary to degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine at C4-5 and C6-7, are manifested by mild to moderate impairment. The veteran's hypertension is not characterized by diastolic blood pressure of predominantly 110 or more, or systolic blood pressure of predominantly 200 or more.

The veteran's service connection claims for tinea versicolor and hypertension were granted, while the remaining conditions were denied.