Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2009

The Board finds that there is a further VA duty to assist the Veteran in developing evidence pertinent to his claims for service connection for a left inguinal hernia, hypertension, and bilateral hypertensive retinopathy.

The veteran's PTSD was incurred during his military service due to combat exposure.

The appeal is remanded to the RO for further development of the evidence.

The veteran's hypertension is rated at 10 percent, as the diastolic blood pressure readings are predominantly 100 or more.

The veteran's claim for service connection for chronic hypertension is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination.

The veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, a compensable rating for left heel bone deformity, a rating in excess of 10 percent for right foot deformity with bunion, and a compensable rating for residuals of deviated nasal septum with sinusitis were denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for facial scarring, arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, pancreatitis, gout, visual impairment of the left eye, and hearing loss of the left ear as there was no competent medical evidence showing that these conditions were related to his service.

The Board denied service connection for deep vein thrombosis of the left leg, sleep apnea, and post-traumatic stress disorder as there was no competent medical evidence establishing a link to active service.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease, status post bypass, associated with hypertension does not warrant a rating in excess of 30 percent from February 23, 2001. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, finding that it was not incurred or aggravated during the Veteran's second period of active duty and that clear and unmistakable evidence showed that the condition pre-existed service.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension as there was no evidence of the condition in service and no medical opinion linking it to service. The claim for headaches was remanded.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and hypertension as they are not etiologically related to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, kidney failure, myocardial infarction, and cerebrovascular accident.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and psoriasis, as well as a higher rating for diabetes mellitus.

The Board found that new and material evidence had been presented to reopen the claim for DIC based on service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, and granted entitlement to DIC. The claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35 was also reopened and granted.

The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining medical opinions to address whether any of the claimed conditions are related to service or have undergone an increase in severity during active military service.

The appeal was dismissed due to the death of the veteran during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and hypertension, as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that could be linked to his current disabilities.

The veteran's hypertension and acid reflux disease were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor are they related to the service-connected residuals of a ruptured aneurysm of the left internal carotid artery.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including post-traumatic headaches and bilateral knee disability, are of sufficient severity to result in unemployability.