Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2021

The Board dismissed all service connection claims due to the Veteran's death.

The claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, foot disability (claimed as blisters or blood poison), respiratory disability (COPD), diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiac/heart disability, right lower extremity PVD, left lower extremity PVD, right lower extremity DVT, left lower extremity DVT, embolism, cellulitis, right ulnar peripheral neuropathy, and left ulnar peripheral neuropathy have been granted. The claims for service connection for right hip disability, left hip disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, back/spine disability, and left eye disability are still pending.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient rationale provided in previous VA opinions. The issues include peripheral neuropathy of various extremities, DM, hypertension, and foot disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of right tonsil squamous cell cancer, Buerger's disease, and hypertension due to insufficient medical opinions addressing potential exposure to herbicides.

The Board has found that there has not been substantial compliance with its previous remand directives and the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, colon cancer, and dermatitis due to herbicide exposure are being remanded for further development.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's hypertension may be related to his service in Vietnam, but needs further clarification from a VA medical opinion.

The Board denied service connection for COPD, but remanded the issue of hypertension due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection.,Service connection for hypertension and right ear hearing loss were granted, but the effective dates are denied.,An initial compensable rating of 10% is granted for hypertension.,Service connection for left ear hearing loss is remanded.,An initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss is also remanded.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at a maximum of 40 percent, effective September 19, 2016.,Hypertension was granted as service-connected.

The Veteran's hypertension, coronary artery disease, and headache disorder are granted as secondary to his service-connected mental health condition. Effective April 19, 2017, the Veteran is assigned a disability rating of 70 percent for his service-connected unspecified trauma-related disorder with adjustment disorder with anxious and depressed mood.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of the Veteran's death, finding that the disabilities did not manifest during or within one year after service and were not incurred in service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient examination opinions and failure to comply with prior remand instructions regarding service connection for sleep apnea secondary to hypertension, coronary artery disease, and major depressive disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between her hypertension and her service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's neuropathy-like neurological symptoms of the left and right lower extremities are service-connected.,Service connection is also granted for headaches, diagnosed as migraine headaches.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder was dismissed. The previously denied claim of hypertension was reopened and granted a 50% evaluation. The initial evaluation for depressive disorder was granted at 50%. Other claims were remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating and earlier effective date for chronic renal disease with hypertension was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher than 60 percent rating, and the earliest possible effective date for service connection is March 31, 2014.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hypertension was dismissed due to their passing away during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has decided that service connection for high cholesterol is denied. The issues of service connection for strokes, diabetes mellitus, type II, myocardial infarctions, hypertension, and coronary artery disease are remanded.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted service connection as it began within one year of separation from active duty. However, the Veteran's chronic fatigue syndrome claim is denied as there is no current diagnosis and his symptoms are attributed to other conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension and lung disease, finding that the VA examiners' opinions were inadequate. The claims are now to be addressed with additional medical opinions.