Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2023

The Board has dismissed the appeal regarding service connection for unspecified eye injury. The issues of service connection for kidney stones and hypertension are remanded.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability and hypertension, but remanded the issue of service connection for hypertension due to a lack of a VA examination.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, and hypertension are granted as service-connected due to exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand. The PACT Act presumption is applied for these conditions.

The Veteran's scar on his right index finger is granted a 10 percent rating. The Veteran's hypertension and GERD are each rated at the maximum 10 percent level, as they do not meet criteria for higher ratings. The Veteran's PTSD remains at the current 50 percent rating.

The appeal of the issue of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed. An initial 10 percent evaluation, but no higher, for hypertension is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were dismissed as the VA Form 10182 was not timely filed.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for hypertension is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in failing to obtain relevant private and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's neck disability, back disability, diabetes mellitus type II, and hypertension have been granted service connection. The effective dates for these conditions are not specified as they were awarded in the October 2018 rating decision.

The Board has remanded the claims for PTSD, headaches and migraine headaches, hypertension, and sleep disability due to potential secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions addressing whether his current disabilities are related to his service-connected conditions or if they were aggravated by them. The claims will be returned for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic sinusitis has been reopened, and the Board finds that new and material evidence has been received. The claims for erectile dysfunction, prostate condition, hypertension, skeletal arthritis, bilateral foot condition, bilateral hip condition, bilateral knee condition, and bilateral lung condition are all remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for esophagus disability, lung disability (spots on lungs), headaches, and hypertension. Service connection was granted for sleep apnea pursuant to the PACT Act.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a current diagnosis or etiology linking these conditions to his military service or service-connected asthma.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, right shoulder disability, right hand disability, left leg disability, sinusitis, asthma, conjunctivitis, and hypertension. The effective date of the grant of service connection for left shoulder disability was set at December 22, 2016.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension on a presumptive basis due to herbicide agent exposure under the PACT Act. The claim is now remanded for further development and consideration of other theories of entitlement.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, bilateral pes planus, hypertension, and sinusitis. The Board has dismissed these claims as a result.

The Veteran's GERD with hiatal hernia is rated at 30 percent, which is the maximum rating available under Diagnostic Code 7346. The evidence does not support a higher rating as there are no symptoms of hematemesis or melena that would warrant a higher rating.,The Veteran's hypertension disability has been rated at 0 percent since October 2, 2012. The evidence does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 7101.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding his in-service toxic exposures. The issues of type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, prostate cancer, and thyroid disability are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for dysthymic disorder and alcohol use disorder, as well as secondary service connection for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic acid reflux, hiatal hernia, and allergic rhinitis, has been granted. The case is remanded to obtain opinions regarding the secondary service connection claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion and failure to consider whether service-connected conditions aggravated the Veteran's DM2. The claim is now pending for further development.