Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder is granted.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for a vestibular disorder (claimed as dizziness) is denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and BPH (claimed as prostate cancer) due to a lack of evidence showing that these conditions began during or are otherwise related to his military service. The claim for service connection for a lower back condition is remanded for further development.,The VA examiner was reluctant to accept the Veteran's report of a twisting injury in service, leading to the need for an addendum opinion.

The Veteran's service connection for hypertension secondary to PTSD has been denied, and his PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent. The Veteran's TDIU claim has also been denied.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's deviated nasal septum with residuals and denied service connection for sleep apnea and hypertension. The appeal is remanded for further development regarding bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. Effective dates earlier than the assigned dates are not granted as there is no evidence of intent to file a claim prior to those dates.,An effective date earlier than November 6, 2014 for PTSD, radiculopathy of the lower extremities, and hypertension is denied.

The petition to reopen the claim of service connection for hearing loss is granted. Service connection for ischemic heart disease or coronary artery disease, hypertension, and hemorrhagic cerebrovascular accidents and seizures are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's hypertension and diabetes mellitus are being remanded for further evaluation, including consideration of herbicide exposure and the recent change in status of hypertension as a presumptive disability.

The application to reopen the claim for hypertension as due to herbicide exposure is denied. The claims for service connection for psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to additional development being necessary, including a determination of whether an increased disability rating for service-connected hypertension is warranted on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has dismissed all the issues of service connection as they are related to a deceased Veteran.

The Veteran's right knee disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (including major depression and major depressive disorder), and headaches are granted service connection. Service connection for HTN is denied.

The Veteran's claims for lumbosacral strain and hypertension have been reopened, and they are now granted.,PTSD remains at a 70% disability rating.

The Veteran's death was caused by a stroke, which is not service-connected and did not manifest within one year of separation. The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including OSA and hypertension secondary to PTSD. The examination reports are inadequate due to lack of consideration of aggravation and exposure to burn pits. Additional records are needed for mental health treatment and a TDIU claim is inextricably intertwined with these issues.

Service connection for a neck/cervical spine disorder, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine with degenerative disc disease and disc extrusions, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left knee retropatellar pain syndrome, and left varicocele is denied.,Effective dates for these grants are not being granted prior to March 25, 2013.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, deltoid ligament osteoarthritis of the right ankle, pulmonary hypertension, and erectile dysfunction were not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence. The claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for deltoid ligament osteoarthritis of the right ankle was denied as there is no limitation of motion that would warrant a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various psychiatric, sleep apnea, heart disorder, hypertension, cerebrovascular accident, and headaches. The issues include verifying in-service stressors, obtaining SSA records, and providing a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and headaches have been reopened due to the submission of new evidence that relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C has not been reopened as the submitted evidence does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate this claim.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension has not been reopened due to the lack of new and material evidence.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for skin rashes and skin tumors has not been reopened as the submitted evidence does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate this claim.

The Veteran's death was not caused or contributed to by any service-connected disability, as the cause of death (cardiac arrest, anemia/bleeding and coagulopathy) is attributed to gastrointestinal bleeding unrelated to his military service.

The petition to reopen the appeal for entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The petition to reopen the appeal for entitlement to service connection for right knee pain is reopened and the claim for service connection for right knee pain is denied.