Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2013

The Board has restored service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, with hypertension and impotence. The Veteran is found to be in need of regular aid and attendance of another person.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining additional VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his hearing loss and etiology of his hypertension.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's eye disability, hypertension, and ulcerative colitis are not service-connected. The evidence does not establish a direct relationship to military service or secondary to a service-connected condition.

Service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension cannot be established as they were not shown to have manifested in service or within one year of service discharge. Service connection for below the right knee amputation and residuals of left foot surgery is also denied due to lack of evidence establishing a link between these conditions and diabetes mellitus.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including headaches, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, an eye disorder, a lung disorder (respiratory), a pituitary tumor, and erectile dysfunction. The evidence did not support these claims based on direct service connection.

The Board has determined that there has not been substantial compliance with the remand directives and that it may not proceed with a decision at this time. The case is REMANDED for further evidentiary development of the issues on appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for additional development, including obtaining medical records from New London Naval Medical Center and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board found insufficient evidence to support the Veteran's claims of service connection for diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disability, and endocrine system disability, as they are not related to his period of active service or any disease or injury therein. The conditions were also deemed less likely due to non-ionizing radiation exposure from radars.

The Veteran's hypertension is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected Hodgkin's disease, and thus service connection for hypertension secondary to Hodgkin's disease is granted.

The Board has addressed the new and material evidence claims on appeal, finding that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen claims of entitlement to service connection for hypertension and a gastrointestinal disorder. The lung disorder claim remains unresolved.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include a depressive disorder. The evidence now shows that he has a current psychiatric condition related to his active service. Service connection is granted for this condition. The Veteran also has hypertension and other conditions which are being remanded for further review.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's service-connected hypertension has been rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing medical opinions regarding whether hypertension is secondary to heart disease or PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran currently has bilateral stress fractures of the lower legs and hypertension as a result of service, but there is no evidence of residuals from his in-service mononucleosis.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, tinnitus, a scalp laceration scar, and PTSD. The issues include secondary service connection for hypertension, rating adjustments for PTSD, and an earlier effective date for PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Board found that there was no evidence of these conditions during service or within one year post-service, and that they were not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for prostate cancer, benign prostate hypertrophy, a neurological disorder (claimed as uncontrollable shakes/tremors), and hypertension were denied. The effective date issue was also addressed.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have service connection for any of his claimed conditions, and thus denied all claims based on direct service connection. The appellant's death was attributed to other causes.