Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2021

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including prostate disorder, hypertension, hearing loss, right knee disability, GERD, urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, and respiratory disorder. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and service or Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, but the issues of secondary service connection for a lumbar spine disability and an increased rating for left knee disability are remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there is no evidence of a link between his active service or herbicide exposure and his current condition. The Board also found no secondary service connection due to his service-connected disabilities.

For the period prior to August 21, 2019, the Veteran's right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent.,For the period prior to June 10, 2019, the Veteran’s nephrosclerosis with hypertension did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 60 percent. From June 10, 2019 onward, it did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 80 percent.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes, gout, hypertension, and sleep apnea is remanded due to the need for further development regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for a separate compensable rating for erectile dysfunction and a rating in excess of 10 percent for hypertension have been denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating for erectile dysfunction due to lack of penile deformity, and his hypertension did not manifest with diastolic pressure predominantly 110 or more or systolic pressure predominantly 200 or more.

The Board has granted service connection for insomnia as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability. The claims for left hip osteonecrosis and hypertension are remanded due to inadequate etiological opinions.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for all claims on appeal, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's disabilities and his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during service. The Veteran will also be scheduled for a DRO hearing to address his polycythemia vera claim.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for hypertension and epistaxis associated with hypertension, as well as service connection for diabetes mellitus secondary to hypertension, were denied.,Diabetes mellitus was not shown to be causally related to service or due to the service-connected hypertension.

The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding the service connection claims for hypertension and an acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety). The Veteran's hypertension is not considered to be related to his military service, as there is no evidence of its onset during or within one year after discharge. For the anxiety claim, a VA medical opinion is needed to determine if it had its onset during service or is due to service exposure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right hip, left hip, and right knee disabilities due to inadequate January 2016 VA examination findings. The hypertension claim is also remanded as no explanation was provided regarding whether medications taken for service-connected disability caused an increase in blood pressure.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, as it requires further development in the form of a new medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for cardiovascular conditions, low back condition, type II diabetes mellitus, and schizophrenia due to insufficient medical nexus evidence. The Veteran contends these conditions are secondary to his service-connected substance abuse disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability, back disability, bilateral hearing loss with loss of balance, and hypertension have been denied as new and material evidence has not been received to reopen these claims.

The Board has remanded the cases of sleep apnea, hypertension, and type II diabetes mellitus for additional development to determine if they are aggravated by service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's chronic renal disease with hypertension is rated at 30 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Veteran also has service-connected diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy, but these do not warrant additional ratings as they are already accounted for in his current disability evaluation.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted for multiple service-connected disabilities from March 7, 2013 to September 17, 2018. From September 18, 2018, the Veteran's TDIU is granted solely due to his service-connected heart disease and PTSD, which are rated at 60 percent or more combined.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for hypertension due to exposure to herbicide agents or secondary to a service-connected disability, including PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of hypertension and a headache disability for further development as there are issues with the medical opinions provided.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension and tinnitus due to incomplete service personnel records. The RO is instructed to obtain all relevant military service records, including those from the Army Reserve and South Carolina Army National Guard.