Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2016

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

The Veteran's hypertension is not service-connected as it did not manifest during or within one year after service, and there is no evidence of a nexus between the condition and his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Board also denied secondary service connection for PTSD.

The Board found that hypertension was not related to service or the service-connected right knee disability and denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding VA treatment records and the need for additional examinations related to the Veteran's claimed conditions. The claims will be readjudicated after these developments.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are granted, with diabetes mellitus type II being presumed due to herbicide exposure and bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus established as a result of in-service acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and service connection are denied. The earliest possible effective date is November 25, 2008, when the Veteran filed his original claim.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain or maintain gainful employment, and the criteria for a TDIU are therefore not met.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and for the Veteran to provide any additional evidence pertinent to his claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, Parkinson's disease, heart disability, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, sleep apnea, and erectile dysfunction are not fully developed. The appeal is REMANDED to allow for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the conditions claimed are not related to his active service or any incident therein.

The Veteran's claimed disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by his military service, and may not be presumed to have been so incurred or aggravated.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the threshold criteria for a TDIU as his combined disability rating is only 60 percent, which does not exceed the required percentage of 60 percent or more. The Board finds that he does not meet the eligibility requirements for a schedular TDIU.

The Board finds that the Veteran's claims for service connection are not supported by credible evidence and thus, these claims have been denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a right shoulder/clavicle disorder, hypertension, lumbar spine disorder, obesity, or osteoarthritis (left knee). The claim for service connection is denied.