Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2020

The Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease is granted a 100% rating from November 1, 2015, through January 27, 2016.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD. The claims for elbow, hip, and knee disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's hypertension is currently evaluated as noncompensable, but a rating of 10 percent has been granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension and visual problems due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran's hypertension is associated with Agent Orange exposure, but the examiner did not provide a clear opinion on whether it was related to service. Visual problems are also linked to hypertension.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, COPD, and a bilateral elbow disability due to presumed herbicide exposure. The evidence did not support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the claim for hypertension due to service-connected PTSD and/or residuals of a right wrist laceration. The Veteran's current symptomatology is being evaluated in light of his service in Southwest Asia during the Persian Gulf War.

The Board has determined that there was not substantial compliance with previous remand directives and requires corrective action. The case is being returned for further development, including the provision of an addendum medical advisory opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension.

The Board denied service connection for high blood pressure, left leg disability (including left knee disability), and PTSD. The Veteran's high blood pressure was not shown to have started in service or within one year of service discharge. Service treatment records did not show ongoing symptoms of hypertension during service. For the left leg disability, there is no evidence showing an injury or disease in service that caused current symptomology. The Board found that the Veteran's PTSD is related to a stressor from service.,The Board denied service connection for high blood pressure and left leg disability (including left knee disability). There was no indication of hypertension during service, nor were there any symptoms noted post-service until 2008. For the left leg disability, the Veteran did not provide evidence showing an injury or disease in service that caused current symptomology.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer, hypertension (HTN), left foot disorder, and right foot disorder as the evidence did not support a direct link to service or any presumptive conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and procedural errors. The Veteran was not afforded VA examinations or access to his service treatment records, which are necessary to determine the etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to potential radiation exposure during her military service, and will require further development including obtaining a dose estimate from the USH.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU as they do not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were all denied. The effective dates for the grants of service connection for PTSD and radiculopathy were also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to December 7, 2010.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at a 50% rating prior to January 11, 2019, and a 70% rating thereafter. The Veteran's hypertension claim has been remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for obstructive sleep apnea secondary to his service-connected hypertension should be remanded due to insufficient evidence. The decision also requires an examination to determine if obesity during service caused or aggravated the Veteran's current obesity and its relation to his obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bladder cancer, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to active service or any incident of service, including as due to in-service exposure to an herbicide agent.

The Board denied service connection for COPD and hypertension, finding that the conditions were not caused or aggravated by service-connected diabetes mellitus type II. The effective date of a 100% disability rating for PTSD was also denied.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted service connection, and he receives a 10% disability rating for his bilateral hearing loss from December 7, 2011 onwards. However, the prior period of hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.