Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2022

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his employment as a chaplain/civil servant with the U.S. Army, and he has not provided sufficient information regarding his current employment status.

The Veteran's sinusitis and hypertension are granted service connection. The Veteran's pericarditis and kidney disease claims are remanded for additional development.

The Board has denied service connection for a low back disability and remanded the issue of secondary service connection for hypertension due to sleep apnea. The case is being returned to VA for further development.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the Veteran's employability due to his service-connected disabilities, and has therefore remanded the case for further action.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is denied, and the claim for service connection for a left knee disability is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has current evidence of a left knee disability and that it began during active service.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for left leg tendonitis, hypertension, headaches, a neck disorder (secondary to right knee disability), a left hip disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) due to new evidence received since previous decisions.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including service connection claims and the determination of a rating for diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is granted secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus from September 20, 2021. Service connection for bilateral lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy is granted from March 28, 2018.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's prostate cancer, coronary artery disease, or hypertension contributed to his death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is at least as likely as not related to his service in Vietnam, and thus grants service connection for hypertension due to herbicide exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as due to herbicide exposure, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis and presumed in-service exposure support this conclusion.

The Board has found that there is evidence of a potential worsening in the Veteran's hypertension and bilateral hearing loss, and therefore remanded for additional examinations and development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding his lumbar conditions, hypertension, and left ventricular hypertrophy/cardiomegaly.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for new VA examinations to assess his service-connected disabilities. The hypertension issue remains on appeal.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The rating for PTSD remains denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and reasoning in previous decisions. The Veteran's hypertension is being reviewed again, with a focus on whether it is related to service, secondary to his service-connected low back pain and depression, or caused by obesity resulting from those conditions.

The Board has determined that additional examinations and medical opinions are needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions, including hypertension, hand, shoulder, ankle, TBI, psoriasis, and sleep disorder. The claims are being remanded for these purposes.

The Board has ordered further development to determine if the Veteran's service-connected hypertension and right ankle disorder were immediate or underlying causes of his death in January 2015.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claims for service connection for genitalia injury, hypertension, heart attacks, strokes, and depression. The claims are now remanded for further development including VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of each condition.

The Board has granted service connection for a lower back condition and hypertension, finding that the onset of these conditions coincided with the Veteran's active-duty service.

The Veteran's hypertension and coronary artery disease are granted as directly related to his exposure to herbicide agents during service.,The Veteran's hypertensive cardiovascular disease is granted as secondary to his service-connected hypertension.