Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's bilateral eye disorder, including pterygium and refractive disorder, was not incurred in service.,Hypertension was not shown to be related to the Veteran's active service.

The Board has denied service connection for sleep apnea and depression, but has remanded the issue of hypertension.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine if the Veteran's conditions are related to service or service-connected disabilities, including exposure to herbicides. The temporary total rating case is dependent on the outcome of the other two.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied, and the effective date for hypertension was set at July 4, 2015.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral elbow disabilities, hypertension, and testicular disability (other than erectile dysfunction) to allow for further development. The diabetes mellitus claim is also being remanded.

Service connection is granted for sleep apnea and hypertension. Service connection is denied for high cholesterol, fibromyalgia, left shoulder disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, tinnitus, throat condition, respiratory condition, and acid reflux.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development to determine if the Veteran's hypertension and psoriasis are related to his military service, including herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's hypertension and diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction are not rated higher than the current levels.,PTSD was granted service connection in 2012, but an earlier effective date is denied due to lack of prior claims.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for additional development due to the need for new medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension, erectile dysfunction (ED), left arm peripheral neuropathy, and right arm peripheral neuropathy. The claims are currently pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not worsened to the extent that he is precluded from performing a job in the music or IT field, and his occupation for which he was rehabilitated remains suitable. Therefore, reentrance into vocational rehabilitation is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability, right ear hearing loss, hypertension, and eczematous dermatitis are all rated at their maximum levels. The claims for increased ratings are denied.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a fistulotomy and denied the remaining issues. Service connection was established for residuals of a fistulotomy, but not for bilateral hearing loss disability, hypertension, viral infection, herpes, or diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are granted. The appeals regarding the evaluation of PTSD and remand for additional examinations are noted.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension and a digestive condition, as well as the claim for an increased rating for PTSD. The TDIU claim is also remanded due to its inextricability with the other claims.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral gout of the feet and sleep disability (insomnia) as these conditions are not related to military service.,Service connection was also denied for left and right knee disability, heart disability (stents in heart), hypertension, and an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for back and left knee disorders, right ear hearing loss, heart disability, hypertension, and scars have been denied. The Veteran was granted TDIU.,Service connection for depressive disorder has been established with an effective date prior to April 29, 2013.

The claim of entitlement to service connection for dry mouth is dismissed.,The claims of entitlement to service connection for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower bilateral extremities, as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus type II (DMII), are granted.

The Veteran's service connection claims for a chronic headache disorder, hypertension, and gastrointestinal disorder are all granted. The headaches were incurred in service, hypertension is not related to service or a service-connected condition, and the gastrointestinal disorder was also not related to service.

The Veteran's hypertension and cluster headaches are being remanded for further evaluation as the initial rating assigned is noncompensable.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for hypertension, kidney disorder, ED, and bladder cancer due to service connection. The remand requires obtaining additional medical records, conducting VA examinations, and providing addendum opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.