Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the appellant requires aid and attendance due to her diagnosed disabilities, including visual acuity of 5/200 or worse in both eyes. As such, she is eligible for enhanced death pension benefits.

The Board has remanded the claims to the RO for further development of evidence and due process development, including scheduling a videoconference hearing.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a videoconference hearing. The claims for service connection remain pending.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within the presumptive period, and denied service connection for hypertension and skin disorder to include dyshidrosis as these conditions are not related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, may not be presumed to have been incurred or aggravated therein, and is not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to insufficient information in the Veteran's claims file regarding his hypertension.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to errors in notification and compliance with previous directives. The case is now pending for further development.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance of another person or being permanently housebound is denied because his helplessness and essential housebound status are due to multiple disabilities, including nonservice-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions, including ear, nose and throat disability, hypertension, thyroid disability, hypoglycemia, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes mellitus type II. The claims were denied as no new and material evidence was provided.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for hypertension was denied as he filed his application after one year from discharge, and no other legal grounds were established.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for additional development to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions, including whether they are related to service or any incident thereof.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II with retinopathy, cataracts, and GERD had shown improvement over a period of more than five years, supporting a reduction from 60% to 20% disability rating.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary prior to the adjudication of the claim, including a search for the Veteran's service treatment records and notification of the Veteran about other forms of evidence he can submit.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability and hypertension. However, further development is needed to determine if new evidence supports these claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction and peripheral vascular disease of the lower extremities have been granted. The appeal is dismissed as these issues are moot.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for hypertension, which he claims is related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical evidence and conduct another VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus were denied as there was no evidence of these conditions in service or within one year post-service. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for an initial evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD.

The Veteran's hypertension and erectile dysfunction are being remanded for further examination to determine if they are secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The VA will also obtain any relevant recent medical records from the Memphis VAMC.