Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by a disability incurred in or aggravated by service, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and providing an updated VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for diabetes mellitus, type II was denied as the disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of sleep apnea. The rating for hypertension is granted at a 10 percent evaluation, and the ratings for Graves' disease, rhinitis, and hemorrhoids are denied.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals seeking increased ratings for diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction and hypertension, a bilateral eye disability, and diabetic ulcer of the right foot. The Board has no further jurisdiction in these matters.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings, reopening of service connection claims, and service connection for various conditions. The decision is final on all issues except those related to reopening of previously denied claims.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for hypertension, which he claims is related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, with erectile dysfunction and PTSD. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension.

The Veteran's degenerative arthrosis of the left great toe was found to have developed as a result of his service-connected gout disability. The other claims for service connection were either withdrawn or not granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete medical records and inadequate examination.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claims for service connection for hypertension, bilateral upper extremity neuropathy, and supraventricular tachycardia secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of hypertension, finding that there was no clear and unmistakable evidence to show that his preexisting hypertension worsened during active duty.

The Board granted an effective date of November 17, 2008 for the award of a TDIU rating. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, specifically PTSD and left hip disability, precluded him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. Additional medical records are needed, including in-patient clinical records from May 1976 and VA treatment records since February 2012.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and opinion regarding the etiology of his hypertension.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's osteoarthritis and hypertension were not incurred in or aggravated by service, are not due to a service-connected disability, and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and right testicular mass are not related to his service or any service-connected disability, including diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is proximately due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus disability.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have service in Vietnam and is not presumed to have been exposed to herbicides. The earliest clinical evidence of many of the claimed disabilities was many years after separation from service, and there has been no demonstration by competent medical or lay evidence of record that any of these conditions are causally related to active service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant, and hence is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a video conference hearing before a member of the Board.