Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2009

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of Meniere's disease and thus, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by his active service and denied the claim.

The Veteran's pericarditis with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and hypertension are found to have existed prior to his active duty service.,Since the effective date of the grant of service connection, the Veteran's acid reflux has been manifested by heartburn (pyrosis), regurgitation, substernal chest burning, low grade substernal chest dull pressure, and occasional vomiting and diarrhea.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 12, 2006, for a grant of total disability due to individual unemployability (TDIU) because the increase in disability was not ascertainable within one year prior to the date of the claim. The effective date is set at June 12, 2006.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension was not caused or made worse by his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension was incurred in service, and thus granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, diabetes, depressive disorder, hypertension (to include as secondary to diabetes), and a heart disorder due to lack of credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressor occurred.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and providing the Veteran with new VA examinations to address his claims.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board is dismissing the appeal.

The Board found that the reduction of the evaluation for hypertension from 20 percent to 10 percent was proper. The veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disorder, left ankle disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder were denied as there is no evidence of current diagnoses or in-service incurrence.

The Board finds that the Veteran's hypertension is related to his active duty service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there is no medical evidence or opinion establishing a nexus between his current diagnosis of hypertension and his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and atrial fibrillation were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during his active duty. The preponderance of the evidence supports a finding against both claims.

The Veteran's hypertension is not manifested by diastolic pressure predominantly 110 or more, or systolic pressure predominantly 200 or more. Therefore, the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7101 have not been met.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran and a need for further examination.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension secondary to diabetes mellitus and assigned an effective date of October 10, 2002. The veteran's claim for a compensable rating for hypertension is denied as his diastolic blood pressure measurements have not been predominantly greater than 100 mm Hg.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and heart palpitations, but denied service connection for anxiety. The Veteran's hypertension was diagnosed in service and continued post-service with multiple medical records supporting this diagnosis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, increased evaluations for diabetes mellitus and hypertension, and compensable evaluation for cataracts were all denied. The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression was also denied.

The Veteran's death was caused by a myocardial infarction due to his service-connected hypertension, which led to atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease. The Board finds that the Veteran had hypertension in service and grants service connection for the cause of his death.