Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claim of an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. The claim of service connection for hypertension as secondary to service-connected bilateral hearing loss remains on appeal and will be addressed with further development.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension on a direct basis due to herbicide exposure. The issues of head injury residuals and seizures are remanded as the Veteran's claims have not been fully addressed.

The Veteran's hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea were not shown as chronic in service or within one year of separation, and there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The Board denied service connection for both conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension and whether it is related to his service-connected psychiatric disorders or alcohol abuse disorder.

The Board has remanded the cases of diabetes mellitus type II, heart disease including coronary artery disease (CAD), and hypertension due to incomplete records from the service department. The Veteran's STRs and Naval hospital records are requested.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development and consideration. The issues include increased ratings for left knee flexion and extension, a separate evaluation of instability in the left knee, service connection for a right knee condition secondary to his service-connected left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, and service connection for a heart condition (other than hypertension).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating of his hearing loss disabilities due to incomplete development, including a lack of records from his separation examination and potential inconsistencies in audiometry results. The Veteran is also being asked to provide any missing service treatment records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a bilateral hearing loss disability, left wrist disability, and hypertension due to insufficient evidence in their current evaluations. The Veteran is required to undergo further examinations to determine if he meets the criteria for service connection and to assess the severity of his disabilities.

The Veteran's daughter, who is over 23 years old and not a child of the Veteran, does not have standing to pursue her father's claims for service connection due to lack of evidence that she bore any expenses related to his last sickness or burial. As such, the appeals are dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hiatal hernia was denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis.,Service-connected hypertension has not been rated higher than noncompensable since the onset of the appeal.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable, as his education and work history were considered. The evidence showed he could perform sedentary work despite his conditions.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired mental disorder, hypertension, Meniere's disease, and traumatic brain injury as there was no evidence of these conditions in service or a link to service.,The Veteran did not provide sufficient medical evidence to establish that any current disabilities are related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, sleep apnea, prostate cancer, rectal cancer, and umbilical hernia. Service connection is also granted for chronic kidney disease secondary to diabetes mellitus and hypertension, as well as anemia secondary to chronic kidney disease.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's hypertension. The issues include service connection for paraplegia and residuals of nasal fracture with deviated septum, as well as determining whether the Veteran's hypertension is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a recent Federal Circuit decision regarding service connection for hypertension and its relationship with a service-connected cardiac arrhythmia. The Veteran's pulmonary hypertension is being evaluated again, including whether it is caused or aggravated by his service-connected cardiac arrhythmia.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been withdrawn. The Board has remanded the remaining issues of entitlement to increased ratings for posterior trunk scar, bilateral lower extremities burn scars, muscle damage, and nerve damage due to service-connected posterior trunk scar.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been reopened, and both conditions are now granted. The appeal is also granted for the evaluation of left shoulder tendonitis and left clavicle spur, lumbar spondylosis and osteophytosis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), uterine fibroids, migraines, hypertension, residual scar from ventral hernia repair, anxiety, memory loss, sleep disturbances, knee disorder, and fibromyalgia. The appeal is remanded for further evaluations and determinations on these issues.

The Veteran's hypertension, COPD, and stomach condition are presumed to be due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. However, the effective date of service connection for these conditions is limited by the PACT Act of 2022, which grants presumptive service connection from August 10, 2022. The claims for hypertension prior to this date and for COPD and stomach condition are remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service connected due to exposure to herbicide agents during his active service.,PTSD, DM with ED and nephropathy, and DPN of the RLE and LLE are all granted effective from March 23, 2017.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there is no evidence of a chronic disability related to active service or toxic exposures. The Veteran's current diagnosis of hypertension was not shown to have manifested within one year of separation from service and there is no relationship between his hypertension and any in-service events.