Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2016

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and granted it. However, service connection was denied for coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus as secondary to service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.,Service connection cannot be established because there is no evidence of a nexus between the claimed conditions and military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension did not have its clinical onset in service and is not otherwise related to active duty. The claim for service connection for hypertension is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions did not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation during the period from March 2007 through October 2008.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, hypertension/hypertensive vascular disease, and heart disease due to outstanding VA treatment records and SSA records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including headaches, an acquired psychiatric disability, hypertension, a back disability, TBI, bilateral shoulder disability, and eye disability. The claim of reopening service connection for gout was also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for kidney disease and TDIU. The Veteran was found not to have a current disability related to kidney disease, and his combined rating did not meet the criteria for TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's Sjögren's syndrome is not service-connected as it did not manifest during or within one year after service. The Board finds that the current diagnoses of CAD and hypertension are not related to his service-connected PTSD.,The Veteran's CAD and hypertension were found to be unrelated to his service-connected PTSD, with the examiner noting that stress could induce heart disease but ruling out PTSD as a cause.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and kidney disorder are related to his military service, granting both claims.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including a VA examination to determine if his hypertension is related to herbicide exposure in service and for consideration of the issue of TDIU.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that it is related to his exposure to Agent Orange during service.

The Veteran's hypertension is being remanded for further development, including obtaining a VA medical opinion on whether it was caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes. The initial rating for his diabetes mellitus, type II, is also being remanded due to the submission of a timely notice of disagreement.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to verify the Veteran's exposure to herbicides and to obtain treatment records from Dr. Bagarinao.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for service connection for residuals of a stroke and hypertension, and the Board does not have jurisdiction over these issues.

The Board has found that the Veteran's right and left upper extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, as well as his hypertension, are due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The postoperative cardiac surgery scar is rated at 10 percent.

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

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to assess his employability given his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD. The case will be returned to the Board after further review.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, skin disability, hypertension, and low back disability. The decision found no current diagnosis of these conditions prior to or during the pendency of the claim, and there was insufficient evidence linking any diagnosed disabilities to military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and strokes, to include as secondary to hypertension, is granted. The Veteran has a current diagnosis of hypertension that was incurred in service, and the Board finds that his strokes are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected hypertension.

The Board is remanding the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records since March 2010 and clarifying where the Veteran has received such treatment.