Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2012

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining deck logs from the USS De Haven and determining if routine dumping of Agent Orange over water off Vietnam was a practice prior to landing. The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and peripheral neuropathy are inextricably intertwined with his claim for diabetes.

The Veteran does not have evidence of a current disability of hypertension during his period of active duty service. The Board finds no basis to grant the claim for service connection for hypertension.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease with hypertension has been granted service connection and assigned a 30 percent disability rating, effective August 1, 2006. A separate 20 percent rating for hypertension is also granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and testicular disorder are not service-connected, with no indication of a nexus to military service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including eye/vision disability, skin disability, schizophrenia, cervical spine disability, chronic rhinitis, degenerative joint disease (including osteoarthritis of the spine), peripheral neuropathy, and hypertension. The decision is mixed as some issues have been granted while others remain pending.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, arthritis of the right hand, arthritis of the left hand, arthritis of the right foot, arthritis of the left foot, and arthritis of the thoracic and lumbosacral spine. The claims were adjudicated based on direct service connection.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the issues of entitlement to service connection for hypertension and nose bleeds, including as secondary to hypertension, Agent Orange, or diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension as secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II and for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran's hypertension was found to be related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, but the acquired psychiatric disorder is not linked to his active service.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on the need for aid attendance or being housebound due to service-connected disabilities is remanded for further development, including a new VA medical examination and obtaining any outstanding treatment records.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA vocational rehabilitation counseling records and arranging a new VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension did not manifest during or as a result of active military service and is not secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. As such, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a low back disability, diabetes mellitus, peptic ulcer disease or hypertension that is related to service. The claims are denied.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for hypertension secondary to diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's hypertension was not present in service or within one year of discharge, and there is no evidence that it is related to his diabetes mellitus.

The Board has granted an initial noncompensable disability rating for the Veteran's hypertension, effective October 13, 2003.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension was aggravated by her active duty service from February 2004 to February 2008, and thus service connection is granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected erectile dysfunction, hypertension, and facial palsy were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a compensable evaluation for erectile dysfunction due to lack of penis deformity. For hypertension, there was no evidence showing systolic pressure readings of 200 or more or diastolic pressure readings of 110 or more at any time during the appeal period. For facial palsy, the Board found that the Veteran's nerve damage warranted a 10 percent evaluation based on moderate incomplete paralysis.

The Veteran's hypertension, which required continuous medication from the date of service connection until May 12, 2011, is rated at 10 percent. From May 12, 2011, there is insufficient evidence to determine if she continues to require medication for her hypertension.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and hypertension do not warrant initial compensable ratings.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, as his hypertension and related conditions were noted at entrance to service and are presumed to have existed prior to service. The Board also found no evidence of aggravation during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's September 1, 2009 substantive appeal was not timely filed and thus his claims were denied.