Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2008

The veteran's claims have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension, asthma, and sinusitis are not related to his active service. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension had its onset during his active military service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further examination and opinion regarding the veteran's hypertension, including its relationship to service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board finds that the veteran's peripheral neuropathy is unrelated to his military service and may not be presumed to have been incurred therein. The claim for service connection for this condition is denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for further examination and opinion regarding whether his peripheral neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, and hypertension are caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.

The veteran's claims for PTSD, GERD, hypertension, and IBS are being remanded due to the need for clarification of the sufficiency of the claimed stressors in support of his PTSD claim.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA pension examination to determine the nature, extent, and severity of his disabilities.

The Board found no evidence of a current left knee disorder and denied service connection for hypertension. The case is remanded to obtain additional development, including a VA examination for the veteran's claimed hypertension.

The Board granted the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection. The veteran was awarded a 60 percent rating for his service-connected lumbar myositis with herniated nucleus pulposus, L4-L5 bilateral radiculopathy from October 16, 1998.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, a heart murmur, and blackouts due to the lack of evidence linking these conditions to the veteran's military service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability were denied. The RO found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for flat feet and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for hypertension. The Board found that pre-existing flat feet did not aggravate during service, and there was no evidence of diastolic pressure predominantly 110 or systolic pressure predominantly 200 or more for hypertension.

The Board denied an initial compensable rating for hypertension, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a 10% evaluation under DC 7101.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The appeals were not successful in establishing new and material evidence or substantiating the underlying claims.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral vascular disease, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction. The conditions are not found to be related to his active service or directly caused by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that additional records are needed to properly adjudicate the veteran's claims, including confirming her service dates and obtaining medical records from various facilities. The veteran will be scheduled for VA examinations to determine the nature and likely etiology of any cardiovascular disease and bilateral hand conditions.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following some type of substantially gainful employment, thus the claim for TDIU is denied.