Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2008

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of an ocular disability and denied service connection for cardiovascular complications (including coronary artery disease and hypertension) as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus, type 2. The claim is being remanded for further development regarding the relationship between the veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus and his cardiovascular disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and hypertension were not incurred in or aggravated by service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board has determined that service connection is not warranted for hypertension as it was not present within one year of the veteran's discharge from service and is not etiologically related to active service or a service-connected disability.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension did not originate during service and was not related to his active duty. The lumbar spine disorder is also denied as there is no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within one year after discharge.

The Board found that the veteran's nephropathy, gout, and hypertension were not related to his active military service. The evidence did not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions, including bilateral foot and heel disabilities, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and bilateral knee arthritis, were not incurred or aggravated by service. The claims are denied.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, but denied the other claims due to lack of evidence or conflicting theories.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding no current evidence of these disabilities and concluding that they were not related to his military service.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for PTSD due to new and material evidence. The veteran's in-service stressors have been verified, and he is diagnosed with PTSD. His claims for secondary service connection for CAD and hypertension are addressed in a separate remand.

The Board found that the veteran's polycystic kidney disease, hypertension, and chronic renal insufficiency with albuminuria do not warrant a disability rating greater than 30 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension is aggravated by his service-connected anxiety disorder, and thus grants service connection for this condition as secondary to his service-connected anxiety disorder.

The Board has determined that the veteran's currently diagnosed hypertension is not related to service and did not manifest within one year of service separation. Therefore, the claim for service connection for hypertension is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, hypothyroidism, elevated cholesterol, and dermatophytosis. The Board found that these conditions were not proximately due to or caused by a service-connected disability.

The veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death before a decision could be made.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher ratings and earlier effective dates, finding that the evidence did not support an increased rating or earlier effective date.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA outpatient records, conducting examinations to assess the veteran's conditions and their relationship to service or other factors, and ensuring that all notification requirements have been satisfied.

The Board has granted an initial 10% evaluation for the veteran's hypertension, which is considered a direct service connection without any presumption or new evidence.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the veteran's diabetes mellitus warranted a 20% rating, hepatitis C was not incurred in or aggravated by service, depressive disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the left hip, hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. The appeals were based on direct service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension does not meet or approximate the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent.