Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2014

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of defective vision and retina problems, infection of the right hand, infection of the left hand, swollen joints, hypertension, and allergies prior to a decision being made.

The Board found that the Veteran's respiratory disability, to include bronchitis, was not incurred in service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus and grants this claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to verify his Vietnam service and exposure, including requests for liberty logs from the USS Princeton.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for various conditions, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and testicular cancer. The appeals were based on presumed exposure to herbicides in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnosis of hypertension is not related to his active service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right and left knee disabilities, allergies, skin disorders, hypertension, general malaise, and a drastic change in weight and appearance due to an undiagnosed illness are all denied.,There is no competent evidence linking any of the claimed conditions to military service.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses is denied because the emergency room visit on July 11, 2010, did not meet the criteria for an emergency medical condition manifesting itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an opinion on whether the Veteran's hypertension is caused or aggravated by his service-connected generalized anxiety disorder. The case will be returned for further development and readjudication.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is not related to his active service and was not caused or permanently worsened by a service-connected disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection for hypertension is denied.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for coronary artery disease with hypertension prior to August 26, 2006 and granted a 60 percent rating beginning on August 26, 2006.

The Veteran's service-connected hypertension has not been manifested by diastolic pressure of predominantly 100 or systolic pressure of predominantly 160, and the preponderance of evidence does not support a compensable rating for hypertension.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension was not present in service or manifest to a compensable degree within one year after discharge, and is not related to service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for hypertension has been denied.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of private medical expenses incurred in December 2008 and January 2009 is denied as VA did not provide prior authorization for the treatment.

The Veteran's total combined rating for service-connected disabilities is 90 percent, rendering him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and Meniere's disease (claimed as vertigo/loss of balance). The Veteran's other claims, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder, a back disorder, and residuals of a ruptured appendix, are pending further development or remand.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and an increased rating for hypertension were denied. The Board found that there was no evidence of a chronic condition during service or within the applicable presumptive period, and that the preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding of a nexus between the current disabilities and active service.

The Veteran's cause of death was due to malignant neoplasm of the liver, with contributory causes of hypertension and diabetes. The Board found that none of these conditions were service-connected or related to herbicide exposure during service.

The Board denied service connection for painful joints and hypertension, finding that the Veteran's conditions were not incurred or aggravated by military service.,Specifically, the Board determined that degenerative arthritis other than arthritis of the back was not caused by military service and did not manifest within one year following any period of service. Hypertension was also found to be not related to military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension was not incurred in service and is not related to his diabetes mellitus. The claim for service connection has been denied.