Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, finding that it was not incurred in or aggravated by service and could not be presumed due to herbicide exposure. The evidence did not support a direct link between the Veteran's hypertension and his military service.

The Veteran is granted a 100% rating for coronary artery disease and hypertension prior to May 12, 2015. Effective date of July 31, 2009.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic headache disability, entitlement to an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for cardiomegaly, and service connection for bilateral eye disability have been dismissed. The Veteran also withdrew his claims for service connection for dizziness, service connection for left ear hearing loss, and service connection for a respiratory disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for psychiatric disability, hypertension, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), and cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa due to insufficient efforts by VA in obtaining relevant records from the Social Security Administration.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, and hypertension due to a lack of evidence showing an in-service injury or disease that caused these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) syndrome, hypertension, and right bundle branch block anterior ischemia as the evidence did not show these conditions began during or were related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a disease or injury incurred during service and that the condition did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and opinion regarding service connection for hypertension and kidney disability, including consideration of herbicide exposure.

The Board denied service connection for a respiratory/pulmonary condition other than a restrictive right lobe condition, including COPD, emphysema, OSA, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension, and asthma/bronchial asthma. The claim for allergic rhinitis was remanded.

The Board has remanded several issues due to the appellant's character of discharge and other service connection claims. The VA will seek additional records, conduct a mental health examination, and readjudicate the cases.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for referral to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration of whether a TDIU on an extraschedular basis is warranted, given his service-connected disabilities other than PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The claim for a temporary total rating due to convalescence was also denied, as the surgery did not require at least one month of convalescence. The hypertension claim resulted in a 20% evaluation from February 10, 2006 to April 21, 2018 and a denial for higher ratings thereafter. Migraine headaches were found not to meet criteria for a rating in excess of 30%. TMJ was denied a compensable evaluation. Right and left Achilles tendonitis and right healed metatarsal stress fracture with metatarsalgia were each denied evaluations in excess of 20%. Left knee strain was also denied an evaluation in excess of 10%. Service connection for screw and dental implant, as well as bilateral hearing loss disability, was not reopened.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis and an increased rating for hypertension. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of sinusitis, as he only has allergic rhinitis which was already service-connected. For his hypertension, the Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a 20% rating under Code 7101.

The Board has found that the Veteran's hypertension, sleep apnea, and a disorder manifest by fatigue are not related to his military service. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions. The issues include hypertension, back disability, bilateral foot disability, bilateral knee disability, respiratory disability, diabetes mellitus, and cardiac disability all potentially related to exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's depression is granted as secondary to his service-connected disabilities.,There is no evidence of hypertension during or after service, and the claim for hypertension is denied.,Peyronie's disease is denied as there is insufficient evidence linking it to active service.,Right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy are both granted with a 40% evaluation, effective October 18, 2018.,The claims for entitlement to earlier effective dates for the evaluations of right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathies are dismissed.

VA has received new and material evidence to reopen claims for service connection for hypertension, Hepatitis C, PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD (unspecified depressive disorder and delusional disorder), glaucoma, pancreatic disorder, and diverticulitis. Service connection is granted for the latter four conditions.,VA has denied service connection for hypertension, glaucoma, and pancreatic disorder.

The Board has granted a compensable initial rating of 10% for the scar of the left breast, status post lumpectomy. However, the issue of service connection for hypertension is remanded due to an inadequate nexus opinion.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between the condition and active service or herbicide exposure.