Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings due to incomplete evaluations, including a lack of consideration of the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service noise exposure. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the cases due to a request for information about the qualifications of the examiner who provided medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, a lung disorder other than COPD and bronchitis (claimed as collapsed lung), benign prostatic hypertrophy, and transient ischemic attack. The evidence did not support the Veteran's claims that these conditions were related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's dizziness, as well as its relationship to service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary before the Veteran's claims for service connection can be adjudicated. The claims are remanded due to incomplete medical records and inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of the claimed disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension, heart disability secondary to hypertension, and erectile dysfunction secondary to hypertension due to insufficient information in the March 2020 VA examination report regarding the etiology of the Veteran's current hypertension.

The Veteran's diagnosed hypertension is granted service connection based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents. The issue of whether OSA was aggravated by his service-connected conditions, including hypertension and diabetes, remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for an adequate medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension is related to his service, specifically noting that the absence of documented treatment in service or thereafter is not fatal to a service connection claim.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as his TDIU claim and bilateral hearing loss rating were both denied. The Veteran is currently in receipt of a 100% combined disability rating due to service-connected coronary artery disease, but the Board found that he did not meet the criteria for a TDIU based on any single service-connected condition other than his coronary artery disease. His bilateral hearing loss was rated as noncompensable.

The Board has denied service connection for sleep apnea, hypertension, back disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions began during service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension due to herbicide exposure under the PACT Act. The Veteran's other claims are remanded for further development and consideration.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The claim is granted.,A compensable disability rating (10%) is granted for a painful scar in the left Achilles' heel, subject to the law and regulations governing the payment of monetary benefits.,Service connection for a psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as a phobia of flying and manifested by intrusive dreams, sleep impairment, and mild memory loss, is granted.,The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for various conditions remains pending and will be remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD prevented him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to January 20, 2016. Since July 28, 2015, the Veteran has been granted TDIU compensation based solely on his PTSD and had a separate disability rated as 60 percent disabling, qualifying for SMC at the housebound rate.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for residuals of a stroke and hypertension due to potential secondary service connection, with specific requests for additional medical opinions from neurologists.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension under the PACT Act. The Veteran's residuals of stroke are remanded as there is a reasonable theory that they may be secondary to his now service-connected hypertension.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for hypertension, restless leg syndrome, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to incomplete records and need for additional opinions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, tension headaches, and an unspecified anxiety disorder has been granted. Hypertension is associated with herbicide exposure under the PACT Act. Tension headaches are related to service-connected tinnitus. An unspecified anxiety disorder is presumed to have originated during active service.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, hiatal hernia, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. Additional evidence is needed, including private treatment records and VA examination opinions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hypertension has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of the appeal.