Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2010

The Veteran's sleep disorder and headaches are found to be related to his service-connected Behet's meningoencephalitis. The Veteran's hypertension is not considered service connected.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease status post coronary artery bypass graft does not warrant a rating higher than 30 percent, and he is not in need of regular aid and attendance or by reason of being housebound.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for depression and anxiety with anger has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal of these issues in February 2006. The case is being remanded to obtain VA treatment records, review the private medical records, and provide a definitive opinion regarding the etiology of hypertension.

The Veteran's appeal is granted, with a rating of 20 percent for the gunshot wound to the left foot effective from April 15, 2004.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The initial rating for degenerative joint disease of the right foot was not granted as greater than 10 percent prior to November 18, 2009, and greater than 20 percent thereafter. Other claims for service connection or increased ratings were also denied.

The Board has granted special monthly pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance, finding that the Veteran requires assistance with bathing, grooming, dressing, meal preparation, housework, shopping, and preparing food.

The Veteran's hypertension was found to warrant a 10 percent rating, the minimum compensable evaluation. The Board resolved all doubt in favor of the Veteran and granted his claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and increased ratings for bilateral pes planus with valgus deformity of the ankles and discoid lupus erythematosis, finding that her hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service and that her current conditions were not proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's cause of death to his service-connected disabilities, including his right kidney removal. The medical opinions concluded that the Veteran's cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions were not caused by or aggravated by his in-service nephrectomy.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of hypertension, heart disability, stomach disability, and chronic bronchitis. The remaining claims are dismissed.

The Veteran's claims for right knee osteoarthritis and essential hypertension are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Board found that the cause of the Veteran's death, pulmonary hypertension due to pulmonary fibrosis, was not related to his active service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine, right shoulder, TMJ, and hypertension are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorders, migraine headaches, bilateral ankle disorders, bilateral shoulder disorders, a heart disorder, and a skin rash affecting the face, neck, and groin area are denied.

The Board found no evidence of heart disease or hypertension being incurred in service and not related to diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's claims for secondary service connection were denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and seeking clinical examination to determine whether the Veteran's current cardiac disorders are related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of an in-service stressor for posttraumatic stress disorder, and thus service connection cannot be granted. The Veteran's claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension are also denied.

The Veteran does not have additional disability as a result of carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or similar instance of fault on part of VA in furnishing surgical treatment in February 1999, and the results of the surgery were reasonably foreseeable.