Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2008

The veteran's claims for service connection for congestive heart failure and hypertension are being remanded for additional development, including an examination to determine the likelihood that his conditions resulted from an injury or disease incurred in service, including presumed exposure to asbestos.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, finding that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen previously denied claims and that there was no evidence linking any of the claimed disabilities to active service or exposure to ionizing radiation.

The veteran's hypertension was granted service connection as it manifested within one year of his discharge from active service.

The Board granted service connection for hypertension, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran.

The Board denied service connection for all the claimed conditions as there was no competent evidence of any currently diagnosed condition that is related to the veteran's active military service.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, hypertension and congestive heart failure as the evidence did not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation, nor was there credible evidence to corroborate an in-service stressor.

The veteran's timely appeal to the claim of entitlement to service connection for osteoarthritis of the right knee, claimed as secondary to service-connected residuals of left knee trauma, was acknowledged and the claims for service connection for hypertension, increased rating for left knee disability, and increased rating for left total knee arthroplasty were deferred pending a further hearing.

The veteran's claims for service connection for sinus bradycardia and hypertension were denied, as there was no evidence of current disabilities. The initial ratings for sinusitis, recurrent headaches, chronic strain of the lumbosacral spine, status post right knee menisectomy, and degenerative joint disease of the right knee were also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of shrapnel wounds to his left leg and left shoulder, PTSD, hypertension, and a heart condition due to lack of credible evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection, increased rating for PTSD, and TDIU are being remanded to obtain additional evidence.

The veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, headaches, seizures, and hypertension are being remanded to the RO/AMC for further development.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection. The claims for hypertension, heart condition, diabetes mellitus, and emphysema were not reopened.

The veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is presumed to have been incurred in service due to exposure to herbicides. The veteran's hypertension and upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are both granted as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, sleep apnea, skin cancer of the bilateral arms and hands, right knee disability, left knee disability, and residuals of a concussion as there was no evidence to support that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The veteran's claim for an effective date prior to August 2003 for the grant of service connection for PTSD is granted, based on a Notice of Disagreement filed in August 2003.

The Board finds that the evidence is in relative equipoise in showing that the veteran's hypertension had its clinical onset during his period of active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus, service connection for hypertension and depression/anxiety as not supported by the evidence.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD was granted a 50 percent evaluation, but his claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and hypertension were denied.

The veteran's claim for service connection for alcohol abuse was denied due to it being a result of his own willful misconduct, including abuse of alcohol or drugs.

The veteran's arterial hypertension and heart disease were incurred in service, as it is just as likely as not that these conditions manifested to a degree of at least 10 percent disabling during his second period of service from February 2003 to February 2004 or within one year of his discharge.