Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hypertension, which was secondary to her PTSD, has been dismissed as the Veteran and her representative withdrew their appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has found that the VA examinations and opinions related to the Veteran's claimed disabilities have not been conducted or obtained as required by prior remand instructions. Therefore, the appeal is being returned to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, PTSD, and hypertension have been denied.,Service connection was not established for any of the conditions due to lack of evidence linking them to service.

The Board has dismissed the appeals regarding service connection for various conditions, including peripheral neuropathy and cataracts, due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding his claimed conditions, as the VA examiner did not adequately address whether he has a qualifying chronic disability or medically unexplained multisymptom illness.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it was not incurred in or related to his military service, including as secondary to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for the cause of death, non-service-connected death pension benefits, and accrued benefits due to lack of evidence linking his conditions to military service.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions, including a back disorder, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity and bilateral lower extremities, erectile dysfunction, and headache disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active duty service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connection, with the decision finding that reasonable doubt was resolved in favor of the claimant.,Service connection for tinnitus has been restored from January 1, 2017. The Board found that severance of service connection was improper and that there was no clear and unmistakable error in granting service connection initially.,The Veteran's hypertension is denied as secondary to exposure to herbicide agents (PACT Act).,Service connection for prostate cancer is denied as secondary to exposure to herbicide agents (PACT Act).,Service connection for a liver disorder is denied as secondary to exposure to herbicide agents (PACT Act).,Service connection for anemia is withdrawn due to the Veteran's request.,Service connection for GERD is withdrawn due to the Veteran's request.

The claim for service connection for hypertension, also claimed as stroke, was reopened and granted. The claims for service connection for gout, allergies, and arthritis of the bilateral legs, hips, knees, shoulders, elbows, hands, and fingers were denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left and right hip conditions due to a lack of an opinion on whether these conditions are related to or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability. The Veteran is also denied service connection for his bilateral knee conditions, as well as hypertension.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea, and headache disorder have been reopened. The claim for PTSD has been denied, while the others are granted.,New evidence has been submitted to reopen the claims of service connection for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, and a headache disorder.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request for VR&E benefits to pursue a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) or a Master of Business for Veterans (M.B.V.) at the University of Southern California, finding that he is unable to obtain and maintain suitable employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of March 11, 2010 for the grant of nonservice-connected pension benefits due to the Veteran's permanent and total disability from nonservice-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for a bilateral eye disability, left wrist disability, and sleep disorder due to incomplete information regarding service connection.

The Board has withdrawn the issue of a compensable disability rating for erectile dysfunction and denied entitlement to earlier effective dates for service connection. The skin disorder claim is remanded due to lack of an opinion regarding in-service exposure.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals regarding service connection for left lower extremity sciatica secondary to a service-connected lumbar spine disability, an initial rating for right lower extremity femoral nerve involvement, and effective dates for both conditions.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for hypertension due to an inadequate examination. The Veteran's hypertension is being reviewed again as part of this process.

The Board found that the Veteran's diagnosed disabilities, including multiple myeloma and diabetes mellitus type II, are not related to an undiagnosed illness or a Gulf War syndrome. The VA examiner concluded that these conditions have known etiologies unrelated to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea and hypertension are not related to service or secondary to service-connected conditions, leading to a denial of these claims. The hypertension claim is remanded for further examination.