Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2015

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II with hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, tinnitus, and transient ischemic attacks and right middle cerebral infarct, combine to render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his prostate cancer disability. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with this issue.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension is related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II and presumed Agent Orange exposure. The Veteran will need a VA medical opinion on this issue.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining records from the Biloxi Vet Center and providing a VA examination to assess the Veteran's ability to work due to his service-connected disabilities. The appeal is not yet decided.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to November 1, 2010, for tinnitus and a compensable rating for hypertension. The claim of service connection for right ear hearing loss was denied as there was no current diagnosis. The claim of left ear hearing loss was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence. The claims of headaches were also not reopened.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his lumbar disability with sciatica, hypertension, and migraine headaches are being remanded to allow for a new VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his service-connected conditions, including left and right knee retropatellar pain syndrome, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and lumbosacral strain.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected hypertension and scar of the left lower extremity, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's hypertension and sinusitis are found to have originated during his active service, with the Board granting service connection for both conditions.

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

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, thus denying his claim for a total disability rating on the basis of individual unemployability.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension and headaches were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor are they presumed to be related to his period of service in the Persian Gulf. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Board has denied service connection for hypertension, hypertensive heart disease, and chronic kidney disease. The Veteran's claims were not supported by evidence showing onset during or soon after service, nor was there any competent medical evidence linking these conditions to events in service.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and a TDIU, with the initial disability rating for coronary artery disease being assigned at 100 percent effective April 30, 2015.

The Board found that the Veteran's esophageal and base of tongue cancers, as well as his coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation, were not related to his service. The appellant's leukoplakia in-service was considered unrelated to these later diagnosed conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including peripheral neuropathy and hypertension, due to lack of evidence supporting a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for flat feet was denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to service and thus denied the claim. For his hypertension, the Veteran is currently assigned a 10 percent rating effective May 29, 2012.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder and hypertension, as well as an increased rating for diabetes mellitus. The case is being remanded for further development.