Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2009

The Board denied service connection for hypertension as it was not related to the veteran's military service or his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for hypertension and a psychiatric disorder, to include GAD, as there was no evidence of chronic symptoms in service or continuous symptoms after service.

The veteran's claims for an increased rating for PTSD and a compensable rating for hypertension were denied as the evidence did not support higher ratings.

The Board found that the preponderance of the evidence was against the veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The claim for service connection for a liver disability was not reopened, while the claim for hypertension was reopened.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for left leg/ankle swelling was withdrawn. The remaining claims were denied as there is no medical evidence of a causal link between the claimed conditions and any incident of service.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension as there was no evidence of a nexus between the veteran's current hypertension and his military service. The claim for a compensable rating for lacerations of the dorsum of the right hand and of the right thumb extensor tendon is being remanded.

The appeal is remanded to the RO for further development and readjudication of the veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension.

The appeal was remanded to obtain additional medical records from the Sonny Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, Type II, and hypertension, secondary to diabetes mellitus, due to exposure to Agent Orange because he did not serve in Vietnam and his service in Korea was prior to the recognized period of use of Agent Orange.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating to 70 percent for PTSD was granted, while the claims for service connection and reopening of hypertension, heart condition, and bilateral hearing loss were denied.

The Board denied the veteran's requests to reopen claims for service connection for gout, asthma, hypertension, and knee disorders due to a lack of new and material evidence.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of a TDIU was denied because the medical records indicating unemployability received in August 2000 and February 2001 do not constitute claims for a TDIU, and the requisite schedular criteria were not established prior to December 23, 2003.

The Board found that the decedent's cause of death was not related to service or a service-connected disability, and he did not meet the eligibility requirements for VA nonservice-connected death pension benefits.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for service-connected hypertension was denied as the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to October 17, 2003 for the grant of service connection for residuals right wrist injury was denied.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and a positive tuberculosis test, but granted service connection for a heart murmur after finding that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim.

The Board finds that the service-connected PTSD had a contributory effect on the cause of the veteran's death, as it aggravated his fatal cardiovascular disease.

The appellant's erectile dysfunction disability does not warrant a compensable rating. The hypertensive heart disease was rated at 60 percent effective prior to May 19, 2008, but no higher evaluation is warranted thereafter. The hypertension disability did not meet the criteria for an increased rating.

The veteran's hypertension does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation, and he is capable of engaging in substantially gainful employment.