Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2015

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a supplemental VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension is related to presumed herbicide exposure during service. The issue of service connection for hypertension, to include as due to herbicide exposure and as secondary to service-connected type II diabetes mellitus, will be readjudicated after obtaining the requested opinion.

The Veteran's hypertension is found to be a chronic disability that manifested within one year of discharge from active service, meeting the criteria for service connection. The claims for asthma, left knee and left foot disabilities are remanded for further development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and gout with degenerative changes in the right foot. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as PTSD, anxiety, and depression is being remanded due to a lack of evidence regarding its onset during service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information regarding the Veteran's dates of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA). The Veteran is requested to provide these dates so that a VA medical examination can be conducted to determine if his hypertension and sleep apnea disabilities are related to his service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's in-service noise exposure is sufficient to establish a link between his current condition and service. The issue of hypertension remains pending as additional evidence and examination are needed.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple service-connected disabilities, including psychiatric disability, asthma, hemorrhoids, Morton's neuroma, sinusitis, hypertension, right and left shoulder disabilities, a right knee disability, otitis media, rhinitis, costochondritis, GERD, headaches, and left testicle epididymitis. The Veteran does not have hearing loss as defined by VA regulations.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, and thus the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and a heart condition have been denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other causative factors.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate compliance with a previous remand directive. The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension will be reconsidered.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is not related to his service-connected depressive disorder.

The Veteran's hypertension has been rated at 10 percent since the grant of service connection. The Board finds that additional development is needed to determine if a higher rating is warranted.

The Veteran's bilateral hip disability, avascular necrosis, is proximately due to his service-connected HIV. The Veteran's depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorder has been rated as 50% since July 8, 2011.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is related to his service in Vietnam, specifically Agent Orange exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection for hypertension is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings and earlier effective dates for his service connection and compensation for diabetes mellitus with hypertension, as well as his claim for kidney cancer on the basis of substitution. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran required regulation of activities or hospitalizations due to his diabetes mellitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disability did not have its onset in active service or for several years thereafter, and it is not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by a service-connected left ankle disability. The Board also found that the Veteran's hypertension was not incurred in service, did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year following separation from service, and is not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by a service-connected left ankle disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and SSA disability determination records. The Veteran's claims for service connection are not yet decided.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, as well as hypertension and hepatomegaly, all found to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The kidney disorder (including proteinuria) is not currently addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's claims for knee, PTSD, and TBI were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for service connection in any of these cases.

The Veteran's representative has withdrawn all pending claims, including those for service connection and an increased rating for PTSD.

The Veteran's July 31, 2003 application for pension is considered a claim for service-connected compensation. The effective date of the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic renal failure with hypertension is set at July 31, 2003.