Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2011

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities have been dismissed as his statements indicate that a grant of 10 percent ratings would satisfy these issues. The appeal for an evaluation in excess of zero percent for hypertension has been denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient evidence on service connection claims, including hypertension and COPD, as well as an acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a disease or injury in service that could be linked to his current conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, high cholesterol, and bipolar disorder. The Board also found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen his claims for PTSD and schizophrenia.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for hypertension, which he claims was caused by his service-connected PTSD and/or diabetes mellitus. The Board finds that additional development is necessary to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's hypertension.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and providing an addendum to the VA examiner's opinion regarding his psychiatric disability. The issues of service connection for a psychiatric disability, hypertension as secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II, and hepatitis C are also being addressed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer with residual urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy, and hypertension all due to herbicide exposure during service. The evidence did not support a finding of such exposure.

The Board finds that the Veteran's fast pulse rate and cardiac arrhythmia are etiologically related to his service-connected hypertension. The preponderance of evidence does not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for hypertension, but erectile dysfunction is found to be present.

The Board found that hypertension did not manifest in service or for many years thereafter and is not shown to be related to the Veteran's active duty service. The claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative joint disease, degenerative disc disease of L3-L4, L4-L5, L5-S1, and mild dextroscoliosis. Service connection for hypertension is denied as there is no current diagnosis or evidence of persistent symptoms during the appeal period.

The Veteran's left eye cataract disability was rated at 20 percent before March 9, 2005 and increased to 30 percent effective March 9, 2005. The rating for the left corneal scar remains unchanged.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding his ability to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities. Additional medical records and Social Security Administration records are needed.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and maintaining some form of substantially gainful employment.

The Board found no current diagnosis of PTSD and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD. The issue of hypertension was not addressed in this decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus secondary to Agent Orange exposure, chronic anemia as secondary to prostate cancer and Agent Orange exposure, skin cancer, lumbar spine disability, and residuals of a right leg burn have been denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and atrial fibrillation are aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, warranting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of hypertension was denied as there was no formal, informal, or written intent to file a claim for hypertension between February 2001 and April 7, 2004.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining his complete service treatment records and scheduling appropriate VA examinations to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to his request for a Travel Board hearing. The case will be returned to the RO after the hearing.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, as secondary to PTSD. The evidence shows that his hypertension is aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.,The Board has also granted service connection for coronary artery disease and stroke with right-sided weakness, both found to be caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.