Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2013

The Veteran's hypertension and irregular heartbeat are not considered to be the result of VA carelessness, negligence, or similar fault. The Board finds that her conditions were not caused by any event not reasonably foreseeable.

The Veteran's prostate cancer and associated urinary incontinence are rated at 20 percent, effective September 1, 2010. Service connection for hypertension is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have confirmed exposure to herbicides in service, and there is no evidence linking any of his claimed conditions to military service or to any incident therein. As such, service connection for all claims is denied.

The Board has remanded the claim for hypertension to the RO for further development and readjudication, including consideration of whether the Veteran's hypertension is aggravated by his service-connected bronchial asthma.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to missing SSA records and other considerations.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is attributable to his military service. The remaining claims have been withdrawn due to the Veteran's request.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied due to his PTSD disability, but the RO has since granted service connection for additional disabilities including diabetic renal disease with hypertension. The Board finds that further development is needed as there are no opinions addressing whether the Veteran's combined service-connected disabilities render him unemployable.

The Veteran's hypertension has been rated as 10 percent disabling. The Board found that the evidence does not show that his systolic blood pressure is predominantly 200 or more or that his diastolic pressure is predominately 110 or more, which are required for a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension did not have its onset during active duty or within the initial year after separation, is not related to any period of active service, and is not due to or the result of a service-connected disability. Therefore, service connection for hypertension was denied.

The Veteran's hypertension was not present during his military service, and there is no evidence linking it to service. The Board denied the claim for service connection as the condition did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal has been remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining relevant medical records and attempting to obtain service treatment records from the Saigon military hospital. The Veteran is also advised that he may need to provide evidence linking his lumbar spine disability to Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal on all pending claims before the Board, including service connection for hypertension and psychiatric disorders, as well as various arthritis and skin conditions ratings. The total disability rating based on individual unemployability was also withdrawn.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for venous stasis, hypertension, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.

The Board found that there is no current diagnosis of hypertension and thus denied the claim for service connection. The Veteran's migraine headaches are not secondary to his service-connected sinusitis.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claims, including obtaining SSA records, VA treatment records, and a VA examination for his prostate disorder and hepatitis C.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for clarification on whether hypertension was caused or aggravated by service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Veteran is asked to submit studies supporting his claim.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA examination to address the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and hypertension.

The Veteran's claims for additional disability of hypertension, vision problems, and tinnitus are denied as there is no evidence showing that these conditions were caused by the improper dosage of thyroid medication prescribed at the VA CBOC in Logan, West Virginia.

The Board is remanding the case to determine if the Veteran's hypertension is related to his service, including presumed exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. The issue of secondary service connection for diabetes mellitus will also be reconsidered.

The Board found no evidence of Agent Orange exposure and thus could not establish service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions based on herbicide exposure. The claims were denied.