Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2008

The veteran's hypertension and cardiovascular disease were found to be incurred in service, with evidence of aggravation.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension was not related to his service and denied the claim.

The veteran's symptoms of fatigue, malaise, headaches and nausea, poor sleep, impaired concentration, tender lymph nodes, joint pain, and muscle pain are presumed to have been incurred during active military service due to chronic fatigue syndrome.

The Board found that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for a chronic infection of the ears, but denied service connection for dizziness, pulmonary disorder, low back disability, prostate disorder, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, increased rating for bilateral conjunctivitis, and compensable rating for bilateral pterygia.

The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for depressive disorder or hypertension.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension as there was no evidence of the condition during service or within one year after discharge, and a medical opinion indicated that the veteran's current hypertension is not related to his military service.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for right ear hearing loss was denied, as the evidence did not support a finding that his hearing loss is related to his military service.

The veteran's PTSD symptoms, including intrusive thoughts, nightmares, hypervigilance, flattened affect, depression, and social isolation, have resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. However, the evidence does not support a finding that his service-connected disability renders him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for idiopathic thrombocytopenia, hypertension, psychiatric disability/PTSD, alcoholism, left ankle disability, headaches, bilateral hand disability, and bilateral leg disability as they were not related to the veteran's active duty service.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, stroke residuals, and memory impairment as secondary to the veteran's service-connected migraine headaches due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his service or service-connected disability.

The appeal is remanded to the RO for further development of evidence related to the veteran's claims.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and residuals of right leg injury as there is no evidence linking these conditions to the veteran's active service.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for malaria, hypertension, and bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of evidence supporting these conditions being incurred or aggravated during active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for loss of vision, diabetes mellitus, left leg venous insufficiency, psychiatric disorder (dysthymia and depression), hypertension, lumbosacral strain, heart disorder, and residuals of dental trauma as there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a right ankle disorder, residuals of a right wrist injury, a GSW to the abdomen, peptic ulcer disease, hypertension, bilateral knee and hip arthritis, and a back disorder.

The veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, bronchitis, headaches and memory problems were denied. The claim to reopen a back disorder was also denied.

The appeal is remanded to obtain a VA medical nexus opinion regarding the etiology of hypertension, including whether it was caused or aggravated by service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board grants service connection for coronary artery disease as it is attributable to the service-connected diabetes mellitus type II. The claim for an increased evaluation for diabetes mellitus type II is denied, as there is no evidence that regulation of activities is required.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding no evidence of a chronic disability during or shortly after service and noting that the veteran was not diagnosed with hypertension until 1984, over three decades after his discharge from active duty.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, schizophrenia (previously evaluated as a personality disorder), bilateral tinnitus, low back disability, left ankle disability, chronic kidney failure, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, Type II, finding no evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation and no medical nexus to service.