Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2016

The Veteran withdrew the appeal for TDIU prior to a decision being made.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea. The remaining issues of service connection for psychiatric disorder, heart disorder, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to service-connected sleep apnea are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C is granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran contracted hepatitis C during active duty due to a blood transfusion for a bleeding ulcer.

The Veteran's heart disorder and hypertension are found to be related to his military service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and skin disability are not related to his in-service exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE). The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and hypertension have not been rated higher than the current noncompensable (0%) ratings for the entire appeal period.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension did not have its onset in service, was not otherwise related to his active military service, and may not be presumed to have been incurred due to exposure to any presumptive conditions. As a result, the claim for service connection for hypertension was denied.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a TDIU was denied as there were no pending claims prior to October 1, 2012 and the criteria for a schedular TDIU had not been met.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hypertension, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus. The Veteran's claims are pending further development.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's renal insufficiency and denied increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as the claims for service connection and increased ratings were not substantiated by the evidence of record.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for hypertension prior to the Board issuing a decision.

The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability, hypertension, arteriosclerotic peripheral vascular disease of the right lower extremity, and right knee strain are all service-connected. The Veteran is granted increased ratings for his hypertension (to 10%) and right knee strain (from 0% to 10% prior to October 5, 2015).

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and glioblastoma multiforme were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for hypertension. The Veteran's current diagnosis of hypertension is related to his active military service, and thus service connection is granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and records.

The Board found that the Veteran was not entitled to a TDIU prior to April 1, 2003 due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy disability for VA compensation purposes and thus, service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of his hypertension, carotid artery disease, and atrial fibrillation. The VA will provide these opinions in order to determine if there is a relationship between the conditions and service or exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's hypertension has been continuously treated with medication, but did not have a history of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more; the preponderance of the evidence is also against a finding that at any time during the appeal was the Veteran's diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more or systolic pressure predominantly 160 or more. Therefore, he does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.