Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2012

The Board is remanding the case to schedule a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO. The Veteran's claims for service connection and reopening of his irregular heartbeat claim are pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of his hypertension, which may be related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The AOJ will consider all evidence received since the June 2009 statement of the case.

The Veteran's death was not service-connected due to the lack of a link between his service or any service-connected condition and his cause of death. The Board found no evidence linking the cause of death (multiple organ failure, septic shock, VAP, UTI, decubitus ulcers, and hypertension) to his service or any service-connected disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus and heart murmur, all presumed to be due to herbicide exposure. The claims were not granted as secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran has been granted service connection for left ventricular hypertrophy, which is a consequence of his service-connected hypertension. The claims for congestive heart failure and respiratory disorders (COPD with asthma) are denied as there is no evidence of such conditions in service or related to the service-connected condition.

The Veteran's right elbow disability, diabetes mellitus, heart disorder, and hypertension were all found to be related to his active service.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for service connection of various conditions, including bilateral cataracts and glaucoma, diabetes, low back pain pathology, hypertension, athlete's foot, and prostate cancer. The appeals are remanded to the Louisville, Kentucky RO for further development due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD, CAD, and hypertension are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development of records.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA disability records and verifying herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple conditions, including diabetes mellitus and its related complications. The issues are primarily about service connection for these conditions due to herbicide exposure in the Republic of Vietnam.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for coronary artery disease, status post myocardial infarction, was granted with an effective date of October 14, 2011. The appeal is resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and high cholesterol were not incurred or aggravated by his military service, including his service-connected diabetes mellitus. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for fibromyalgia, conjunctivitis, lumbar strain and spinal degenerative arthritis, sinusitis, hypertension, bronchitis, cervical degenerative arthritis with spondylosis with right arm radiculopathy, and degenerative arthritis of the arms, wrists, and hands. The Board found that there was no evidence of these conditions during service or within one year after separation.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypoglycemia, hypertension, cataracts, gallbladder removal, pes planus, left elbow and knee disabilities, left ankle and thigh disabilities, right knee and hip disabilities, lumbar spine and cervical spine disabilities, abnormal blood count, elevated cholesterol/triglycerides, ear pain, and rash on the back. The Board found that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by service or due to a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence. The issues of bilateral hearing loss, chronic tinnitus, and a chronic headache disorder are not addressed as they do not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has granted an initial compensable evaluation of 10 percent for the service-connected hypertension.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a VA examination and obtaining additional medical records. The claims will be readjudicated after all relevant evidence has been considered.

The Veteran's initial ratings for migraines, GERD, and hypertension have been granted but are currently at noncompensable levels. The Board found that the Veteran's migraines do not meet criteria for a higher rating due to their frequency of attacks being less than severe economic inadaptability. For GERD, the Board determined there is no evidence of dysphagia or significant impairment of health warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's hypertension is being remanded for additional medical opinions to determine if it is related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, presumed in-service herbicide exposure, or aggravated by his service-connected panic disorder.