Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate examination reports and insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions. The Veteran is required to undergo additional VA examinations to address these issues.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further development, including a VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, and bilateral diabetic retinopathy are granted. The Board finds the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his service in Vietnam, which is presumed for veterans who served in that region. As a result, these conditions are considered related to service.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis does not meet the criteria as it is not related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected hypertension is currently controlled through constant medication, but there are no blood pressure readings in the record showing diastolic pressure of 100 or more or systolic pressure of 160 or more. Therefore, an initial compensable rating for hypertension is not warranted.

The Veteran's hypertension was found to be non-compensable, but a 10 percent rating is granted.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of hypertension before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's hypertension is not rated as compensable because his diastolic pressures have never been predominantly 100 or more, and he does not meet the criteria for a 10% rating under VA's rating schedule.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied because his combined rating for service-connected conditions (PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, plantar wart, and hypertension) is less than the required 70% to warrant a TDIU on schedular basis. The Board found that he could still secure and follow substantially gainful employment despite his disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development and evaluation, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the relationship between the appellant's service-connected disabilities and her claimed conditions.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as presumptively related to herbicide exposure under the PACT Act.,Left eye ischemic optic neuropathy is granted as secondary to service-connected ischemic heart disease.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected hypertension is being remanded due to the addition of new evidence since the last statement of the case.

The Board has granted service connection for stroke, diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. The case is remanded to obtain a medical opinion regarding the Veteran's hormone deficiency.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is presumed to be related to his in-service herbicide exposure. The claim for service connection for prostate cancer is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient information regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents and his service in Vietnam, which is necessary for determining if he was exposed to these conditions that could have contributed to his death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating issues due to insufficient medical records. The case is also remanded for an addendum opinion on PTSD, a headache disability evaluation, and VA examinations for lumbosacral strain, DDD, Schamberg's disease, and hypertension.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but denied service connection for hypertension.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability and remanded all other issues due to new evidence received since the last denial. The claims are being remanded for further development, including VA examinations.

The Board denied service connection for lupus, right upper extremity neuropathy, left upper extremity neuropathy, right hip disability, left hip disability, fibromyalgia, hypertension, and kidney disease. The Veteran's claims were not granted on a presumptive basis due to the lack of association between lupus and exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's application to reopen his previously denied claims for service connection for hypertension and erectile dysfunction was granted. His claim for increased rating of pseudofolliculitis barbae is also granted, with a staged initial disability rating of 10 percent before October 27, 2021, and greater than 10 percent thereafter.