Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2009

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the Veteran's skin condition and hypertension.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, and peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity. The esophageal condition claim was also denied.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of additional functional impairment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension, Athlete's foot, acid reflux disease, herpes, and dental problems were not incurred or aggravated during his active service. The condition of hypertension existed prior to service and did not increase in severity during service. The other conditions have no direct link to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder was reopened due to the submission of new evidence showing a current diagnosis of dysthymia with PTSD traits.,The claims for service connection for hypertension and hepatitis C were not reopened as the submitted evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims.

The Veteran's hypertension is found to be at least as likely as not caused by or a result of his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Veteran does not have PTSD due to uncorroborated claimed stressors. Service connection for coronary artery disease with myocardial infarction, secondary to DM, is granted since July 9, 2001.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, benign prostatic hypertrophy (claimed as prostate), and residuals of brain surgery. The TDIU claim was also denied.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current conditions to her military service and denied all claims for service connection.

The Veteran's current hypertension and hypertensive heart disease did not manifest during service, is not otherwise shown to be causally or etiologically related to service, and is not shown to have manifested to a degree of 10 percent or more within one year from the date of separation from service. The Board denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of Veteran's death due to lack of evidence linking it to service or a service-connected disability. The claim for nonservice-connected death pension benefits was also denied as the Veteran did not have qualifying wartime service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, which was previously denied in March 2002.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, hypertension, and anxiety disorder. The Board found that there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's current flushing syndrome and associated symptoms are secondary to his contamination during service with jet engine fuel.,Diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, hypertension, osteopenia, and obstructive sleep apnea are all secondary to the Veteran's service-connected flushing syndrome.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is secondary to his service-connected PTSD and granted a rating of 30 percent for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for renal tuberculosis and hypertension have been denied as the evidence does not support a higher rating based on current symptomatology.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for hypertension and acanthosis nigricans and xerosis were denied as the evidence did not show that his conditions warranted higher ratings under the applicable rating criteria.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of his tinnitus.

The Veteran's hypertension is found to be aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD was granted. Service connection for peripheral neuropathy and hypertension were denied, but service connection for PTSD was granted with a 50% evaluation effective September 7, 2006. The earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II is maintained at July 12, 2004.

The Veteran's service connection for hypertension and congestive heart failure is granted as these conditions are found to be aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus and PTSD.