Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's disabilities, including anemia, hemorrhoids, hypertension, mild cataracts, pancolitis, positive testing for tuberculosis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), anxiety, and alcohol abuse, do not permanently preclude him from engaging in all forms of substantially gainful employment consistent with his age, education, and work experience.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations and obtaining SSA records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for his claimed conditions, including as secondary to herbicide exposure, are denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the relationship between his service-connected diabetes mellitus and/or presumed Agent Orange exposure and his claimed disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is reasonably shown to have had its onset during his active service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's medical treatment at St. Peters Hospital on August 14, 2003 was not authorized by VA and did not meet the criteria for reimbursement under emergency treatment provisions.

The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding medical records from Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California. The Veteran's claims for service connection are pending and will be reconsidered after obtaining these records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and a psychiatric disorder were denied. The Board found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, finding no evidence linking the condition to service. The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss is pending and his claims for back spasm and residuals of cold weather injury, both feet have been withdrawn.

The Veteran's death was not caused by or aggravated by any service-connected disability. The Board denied both the cause of death and DIC claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to the inextricability of the diabetes mellitus claim and hypertension claim. The Veteran's hypertension is being considered on a direct basis, as secondary to herbicide exposure, and if necessary, as secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Board finds that the Veteran's condition, including his history of hypertension, emphysema, and COPD, warranted immediate medical attention due to symptoms such as shortness of breath and chest pain. Given the urgency and the distance from the nearest VA facility, it was reasonable for him to seek treatment at a private hospital.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and pancreatitis as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type 2.

The Veteran's claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for additional development of the record, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's death was caused by occlusive coronary artery disease due to (or as a consequence of) coronary arteriosclerosis, with hypertension being a significant condition contributing to the cause. The VA examiner opined that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's hypertension increased while in service and contributed substantially or materially to his death.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension is aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension/vascular disease and a urological disorder, finding that there was no evidence of these conditions during his military service or within the one-year presumptive period following discharge. The Board also found insufficient medical evidence linking any current hypertension to his diabetes.

The Veteran's hypertension is currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling. The Board found that the evidence does not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected PTSD, and grants secondary service connection for hypertension.

The Veteran's hypertension, renal cysts, and liver lesions are being remanded for further development to determine their etiology.