Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2010

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, depression, IBS, and hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. The other claims were denied.

The Veteran's low back pain is rated at 10 percent, and the other claims for service connection are denied. The effective date of this rating decision remains to be determined.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities and determine if there is a link between his PTSD and a specific stressor.

The Board denied service connection for peripheral neuropathy and hypertension, finding that the conditions were not related to service or service-connected diabetes mellitus.

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

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the nature and etiology of his hearing loss disability, hypertension, and service connection claim.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current hypertension developed during service or within one year of discharge.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing an adequate examination to address the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension and tinnitus.

The Veteran's hypertension is not found to be caused by or aggravated by his service-connected coronary artery disease. The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities has been evaluated as 10 percent disabling prior to July 28, 2009 and higher than 10 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected hypertension is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a more current VA examination.

The Veteran's hypertension has not been manifested by diastolic pressure of predominantly 110 or more or systolic pressure of predominantly 200 or more, thus the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent are not met.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for right wrist disability, hypertension, and stomach disability due to service-connected PTSD. The Veteran's right ankle disability is currently rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's hypertension is found to be service-connected due to a finding that it was manifested within one year of his separation from active duty. The right shoulder disability has been rated at 20 percent since the grant of service connection, and no higher rating is warranted based on current evidence.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen claims for service connection for a low back disorder, bilateral knee disorder, or hypertension. The claim for service connection for a left shoulder disorder is denied as there is no competent evidence of an in-service injury related to the current condition.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the appellant is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities. The claim will be reviewed again after these steps are completed.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the PTSD did not warrant a rating in excess of 50 percent, the hemorrhoids warranted no compensable evaluation, the heart condition was not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, hypertension was also not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and emphysema with COPD was not related to in-service asbestos exposure.

The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of neurocirculatory asthenia/psychoneurosis with cardiac manifestations, hypertension, anxiety disorder, or depression. The Veteran's cardiovascular and psychiatric conditions were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II, is currently rated at 20 percent and his hypertension prior to January 7, 2009, is not shown to meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Board finds that neither condition presents such an exceptional or unusual disability picture as to render impractical the application of the regular schedular standards.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.