Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2016

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion on whether the Veteran's death was caused by service-connected disabilities and if any of these conditions were related to his presumed exposure to herbicides during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board finds that his TDIU is granted.

The Board has determined that hypertension was not incurred in service and may not be presumed to have been incurred therein. The Veteran's hypertension is more likely related to his known risk factors, including obesity and lack of physical activity.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to schedule the Veteran for a Board hearing by live videoconference.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for gastritis and hiatal hernia, circulatory disorder, sinusitis, and hypertension. The evidence does not establish that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's hypertension is rated at a 10% evaluation, effective as of the date of this decision.

The Board found that the Veteran's current cardiovascular disorders, including hypertension and valvular heart disease, are not related to his service. The evidence did not establish a nexus between any findings in service and his current conditions.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the dates of ACDUTRA or INACDUTRA in 1986, and to obtain a VA examination for psychiatric disorders. The appellant's claims will be remanded for these purposes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, gout, and kidney failure. The evidence submitted since the previous denial did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating any of these claims.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his active duty. The claim for a higher rating for incomplete paralysis of the left lower extremity remains pending, but no specific rating is assigned in this decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if his hypertension is related to service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for further development to determine his ability to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of any currently diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorder, hypertension, residuals of a stroke, aneurysm, diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities.

The Board has ordered further development to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicides while serving at Udorn RTAFB in Thailand. The appeal is now remanded for this purpose.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of diabetic retinopathy or hypertension in service, and the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of either condition.,Both conditions are claimed as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus type II. However, the preponderance of the evidence fails to establish an etiological relationship between these conditions and the service-connected diabetes.

The Board has remanded the case for an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension is related to Agent Orange exposure and if it was aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's service-connected hypertension did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation as his blood pressure readings were consistently below the threshold required for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to determine if the Veteran's prostate hypertrophy and hypertension are related to his service or herbicide exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension did not manifest in service or within the one year presumptive period, and the most competent and probative evidence of record shows that current hypertension is unrelated to service or to a service-connected disability.