Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2012

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for loss of part of left carotid artery, lightheadedness, and hypertension due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's inability to open his mouth fully is rated at 10%.

The Veteran's need for regular aid and attendance of another person is established based on his disabilities, including dizziness, shoulder problems, pneumonia, and hypertension. The Board finds that the evidence supports this claim.

The Veteran's disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss or hypertension, and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's hypertension is related to service-connected diabetes mellitus or aggravated by renal disease.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for mixed headaches, chronic rhinosinusitis, hypertension, alopecia areata, and high cholesterol. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a finding that these conditions began during or were otherwise caused by her military service.

The Veteran's service-connected hypertension is currently rated at 10 percent, but the evidence does not support a higher rating.,The right shoulder disorder was not shown to be related to service or any service-connected condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a personal hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO. The issues of entitlement to initial compensable ratings for hypertension and HPV, as well as service connection for PTSD, are pending.

The Board has determined that the VA examination opinions are inadequate for rating purposes and that there is a need to obtain additional private treatment records, including those related to a Workers' Compensation claim. The appeal will be remanded to allow for these actions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for consideration of additional evidence, including VA outpatient clinical records. A new VA Compensation and Pension examination for hypertension will also be scheduled.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension was not diagnosed during service and is not related to his active duty. The dizziness issue also did not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and authorized examination reports. The claim of entitlement to service connection for a skin disorder must also be addressed.

The VA determined that the Veteran's hypertension was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's service-connected hypertension has not been manifested by blood pressure readings with diastolic pressure predominantly 110 or more, systolic pressure predominantly 200 or more. Therefore, an initial rating in excess of 10 percent is not warranted.

The Veteran's hypertension, right hand cold injury residuals, and left hand cold injury residuals are found to be related to service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the death of the appellant.

The Board is remanding the case to obtain additional VA treatment records and Social Security Administration records, and then to readjudicate the claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for a VA examination to assess his employability given his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded as the Board finds there is insufficient evidence regarding his employability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension did not have its clinical onset in service and is not otherwise related to active duty. The left ankle disability was also not shown within one year of separation from service, and there is no evidence linking it to service.