Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2017

The Veteran requested to withdraw the appeal regarding service connection for sleep apnea, including as secondary to hypertension. The Board has dismissed the appeal.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for herpes zoster was reopened and granted. Her hypertension claim was denied, as were her TDIU claims.,For the period between May 2004 and December 2007, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further action, including referral to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration of an extraschedular TDIU.

The Board has ordered additional development and remanded the case for readjudication of all issues on appeal, including service connection for diabetes mellitus. The Veteran is also scheduled for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of prostatitis or hypertension that is related to his military service. The Veteran's heart disability claim was addressed separately and will be remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's hepatitis C was incurred in active service. The claims for liver failure, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are also remanded for additional development.

The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death (coronary artery disease) was not related to his military service, and concluded that none of his service-connected conditions or any other condition related to his military service contributed substantially or materially to his death. The claim for service connection for the cause of death is denied.

The Veteran's hypertension was rated at 10 percent prior to March 26, 2015 and increased to 20 percent thereafter.,Raynaud's Syndrome/Frozen Feet and Hands were rated at 10 percent from February 14, 2007, but no earlier. The Veteran now has a 20 percent rating for this condition starting March 26, 2015.

The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, Type II with an initial rating of 20 percent. The Veteran's diabetes requires oral agents and a restricted diet but does not require insulin or limitation of activities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has a current disability of bilateral hearing loss and that it is at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to address the severity of his service-connected conditions and their impact on his ability to work.

The Veteran's claims for ischemic heart disease, hypertension, residuals of a cerebral vascular accident, cervical spine disability, and left shoulder disability were denied as there is no evidence of these conditions in service or due to herbicide exposure. The Veteran was not exposed to Agent Orange during his service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right knee disability, left knee disability, and hypertension. The Veteran's disabilities are found to be at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical opinions and outstanding VA treatment records. The Veteran's hypertension disability is being evaluated for its onset during service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development and readjudication due to incomplete evaluations of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including their impact on his ability to work. The appeal is now pending again.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and personnel information, as well as for a new VA audiological examination. The issues of entitlement to service connection for various conditions are on appeal.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension was aggravated by his service-connected anxiety disorder with traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for hypertension on a secondary basis.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development and an addendum opinion regarding service connection for dry eye disability secondary to hypertension.