Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2015

The Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder is found to be related to his active service, and he is granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his psychiatric disorder(s), low back disability, gastrointestinal disability, and hypertension.

The Veteran's PTSD is shown to have developed as a result of traumatic events in service including his fear of hostile military activity, and the Board finds that service connection for PTSD is warranted.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for hypertension, which he claims is related to his military service and specifically to herbicide exposure during service or as secondary to PTSD. The case has been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between hypertension and these factors.

The Veteran's hypertension and diabetes mellitus were not shown to be related to service, and the Board denied these claims.,Service connection for athlete's foot was also denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule him for a videoconference hearing due to his failure to appear at the previously scheduled hearing. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and a bilateral hip disability are still pending.

The Veteran's hypertension is not related to his active duty service or exposure to herbicides.,There is no evidence of peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities during the appeal period.

The Veteran's hypertension was not manifested by diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more, systolic pressure predominantly 160 or more, or a history of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more. As such, the claim for an initial compensable rating for hypertension is denied.

The Veteran's chronically recurrent episodes of blurred vision are caused by medications taken for his service-connected right knee disability, and the Board has determined that service connection is warranted.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the disability rating for PTSD and service connection for hypertension. The Board does not have jurisdiction to review these issues as they are dismissed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD; a colon disorder; or hypertension. The evidence does not support these claims.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations of hypertension and tension headaches, as well as service connection for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, were denied. The Board found that his hypertension did not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, and his tension headaches did not meet criteria for a 50 percent evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and providing the Veteran with VA examinations and medical opinions in connection with his claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension is not service-connected as it did not manifest during active duty or within one year of separation, and there was no evidence linking his current condition to service. The VA examiners concluded that the Veteran's hypertension is a stand-alone process unrelated to his diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is secondary to his service-connected abdominal aortic aneurysm disability, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to in-service noise exposure, and service connection for this condition is granted. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension are remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, coronary artery disease due to herbicide exposure, and diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure.,There is no evidence of in-service diagnosis or treatment for these conditions. The Veteran's service records do not show any complaints or diagnoses related to these conditions.,While the Veteran claimed he was exposed to herbicides during his service in Vietnam, there is insufficient evidence to support a finding that he served in Vietnam and thus the presumption does not apply.

The Board has remanded the case for further consideration due to a lack of adequate consideration of whether VA examination was required and for obtaining Social Security Administration records. The Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, type II are being reviewed.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his contributory causes (COPD, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and hypertension) were not related to military service or service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain relevant records and to provide the necessary medical examinations.