Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequacy of a previous VA examination and need for an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining records from a VA physician and providing an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's hypertension and heart disability, specifically whether they are related to service or his diabetes.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and coronary artery disease, status post coronary artery bypass graft, are granted. The Veteran's hypertension is remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are not of such severity to preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment, and his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability is denied.

The Board denied service connection for right upper extremity, left upper extremity, right lower extremity, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as well as hypertension. The decision found that the Veteran's symptoms did not manifest during or within one year after his separation from active service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for upper back, left ring finger nerve damage, hypertension, and right knee disabilities have been denied.,The Veteran's bilateral foot disability has not resulted in a higher rating than 30 percent.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, including as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type 2, was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of a causal relationship between the Veteran’s hypertension and his military service or service-connected diabetes. For TDIU, the Veteran was also denied because his service-connected disabilities alone were not sufficient to preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate compliance with previous remand directives regarding the issue of entitlement to service connection for hypertension. Another remand is required.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea, hypertension, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder due to inadequate VA examination reports. The case is being returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient development of evidence, particularly regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disability and hypertension. The AOJ is instructed to obtain additional medical records and schedule examinations for a determination on service connection.

The Board has withdrawn the issue of special monthly pension and granted service connection for hypertension, bilateral knee disabilities, anxiety disorder, and remanded issues regarding a lumbar spine disability and a right eye disability.

The Board has remanded all reopened service connection claims for accrued benefits purposes due to the need for additional records and a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC). The issues include cause of death, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, PTSD and depressive disorder, bowel condition, and Parkinson’s disease.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service treatment records, which are needed to determine if the Veteran's hypertension is related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tachycardia, mitral valve prolapse, and hypertension has been granted. The Board found new and material evidence to reopen the claims.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection of dry eye due to withdrawal. The claims for compensable ratings for seborrheic dermatitis, plantar warts, and PTSD are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and sleep apnea due to inadequate opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran is presumed exposed to herbicide agents, but there is no evidence of a direct link between Agent Orange exposure and hypertension or PTSD. The Veteran's service-connected PTSD may be linked to his sleep apnea.

The Board has dismissed the appeal regarding an earlier effective date for left hip strain with superimposed arthritis. The remaining issues of service connection and increased rating claims are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and a heart condition due to new evidence received by the Veteran. The effective dates of compensation for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and persistent depressive disorder remain denied.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension as secondary to the service-connected diabetes mellitus type II and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease in service or continuous symptoms after service separation.