Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2021

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral pes planus and a traumatic brain injury. The issues of service connection for an acquired psychological disorder other than PTSD, hypertension, and a disability manifesting in dizziness and loss of balance are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for a disability manifested by dizziness, but denied service connection for hypertension, fatigue, and sleep deprivation as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches and/or acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board denied service connection for heart disability, eye disability, leg disability, hepatitis C, and ulcers as they are not related to service.,Hypertension was identified prior to the Veteran's period of service and is presumed to have preexisted service.

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

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the relationship between hypertension and in-service lead or asbestos exposure. The Veteran's claim for service connection is being returned to VA for further review.

The Veteran's hypertension is rated at 10 percent, which requires continuous medication for control. The Board found that the evidence does not support a higher rating as the diastolic pressure has only occasionally measured 110 or greater.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including degenerative joint disease of the right knee, hallux valgus or bunions on both feet, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension. The evidence did not support a finding that these disabilities were related to service.

The Veteran's TDIU is denied as his date of entitlement to a schedular TDIU is March 31, 2018. The Board finds that the Veteran does not meet the economic component of a TDIU prior to March 30, 2018.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including low back disability, hypertension, heart disability, stroke, left upper extremity disorder, bilateral hand disability, seizure disorder, and bowel disorder. The reasons given were that there was no evidence to support a direct relationship between these conditions and service or secondary to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus and hypertension as secondary to his service-connected bilateral pes planus, bilateral knee arthritis, and low back disorder.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and active service or exposure to herbicide agents. The claim was also denied as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension is secondary to his service-connected coronary artery disease. The VA needs to provide an addendum opinion addressing this issue.

The Board has remanded the case due to an incorrect standard used by the VA examiner in determining if hypertension clearly and unmistakably preexisted the third period of service. The Veteran's hypertension is being reviewed again for a possible causal link with this period.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for polysubstance abuse, which was secondary to his service-connected PTSD, has been granted. The appeal is dismissed as there is no longer a controversy.

The Board has determined that the May 2012 rating decision is the current appeal, and it remanded for additional development. The Veteran's hypertension was not service-connected at the time of the May 2012 rating decision. The Board also noted that there are issues related to secondary service connection for hypertension due to service-connected coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral artery disease (PAD), and/or type II diabetes mellitus, as well as potential aggravation by these conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension, sleep apnea, headaches, and a rapid heartbeat disability to include as secondary to PTSD due to lack of in-service documentation and conflicting evidence regarding other psychiatric disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between hypertension and diabetes, as well as whether it is related to herbicide exposure. Additional development including obtaining updated VA medical records and additional medical opinions are required.

The Veteran's appeals for a rating in excess of 20 percent for a lumbar spine disability, service connection for polyneuropathy of the extremities, and service connection for hypertension have been dismissed. The Veteran is granted an initial 30 percent rating for IBS-C over the entire appeal period.

The Board has decided one issue on appeal and remanded the remaining issues for further development. Additional development is necessary, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for emphysema, COPD, residuals of high fever to include a compromised immune system, OSA, and hypertension as the evidence did not support these claims.,Service connection was not granted because there was no medical evidence linking any of these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.