Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension, heart condition, and obstructive sleep apnea due to potential errors in the previous medical opinions and the need for additional development of service personnel records.

The Veteran has withdrawn his claims for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, dermatophytosis (brittle nails), and a skin disorder (chloracne). The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD and major depressive disorder) and stroke residuals. TDIU is inextricably intertwined with these claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives and for obtaining updated medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment, and the claim for a TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment for the period of January 12, 2012 to August 9, 2012.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient rationale in the previous VA examiner's opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed disabilities and their relation to his military service, particularly exposure to herbicide agents.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the Board denied entitlement to DIC benefits.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for hypertension due to insufficient evidence and a need for further examination.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and chronic renal failure, finding no evidence of a nexus to service or presumptive exposure.,Both conditions were determined not to be related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of hypertension due to inadequate opinions regarding secondary service connection and obesity as an intermediate step.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating on his right ankle sprain was withdrawn during the August 2021 hearing.,Claims for hypertension and ED, both secondary to PTSD, were denied in November 2016. No new evidence has been submitted that could reopen these claims.,Claims for left knee condition and right knee condition were also denied in December 2016. Again, no new evidence has been submitted that could reopen these claims.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his right ankle sprain rating was denied.,Service connection for IBS was granted.,Service connection for fibromyalgia was denied.,A 20 percent disability rating, but no higher, was granted for the left ankle condition. The Veteran is not entitled to a higher rating based on this appeal.,The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen claims of service connection for numbness, muscle and joint pain, migraines, memory loss, and lower back conditions.,Claims for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) were also remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between hypertension and service, as well as its relation to diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's claim will be reviewed again with a new examination.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's current hypertension is related to service, including presumed herbicide agent exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection for hypertension is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a dental disability (broken teeth) due to his service-connected grand mal epilepsy is granted.,The Veteran's petition to reopen his previously denied hypertension claim is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer and hypertension as due to exposure to herbicide agents, finding no probative evidence of such exposure during active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to hypertension and insufficient medical evidence to support a nexus between current hypertension and service.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service connection due to presumed herbicide exposure.,Service connection for tinnitus is denied, with the opinion suggesting it may be related to noise exposure during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, hypertension, tremor, and dementia have been denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities.,There are no confirmed diagnoses of the claimed conditions since or proximate to when the Veteran filed his claim.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's hypertension and kidney condition, as the current opinions are inadequate.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and higher ratings for his service-connected disabilities, including bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy and a lumbar spine disability. The appeal was remanded to obtain updated VA examinations.