Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2024

The Board has denied service connection for hypertension, and the claims of service connection for right foot pain, left foot pain, right elbow condition with pain, and bilateral hearing loss are remanded.,The Veteran's hypertension is not related to his military service. The VA did not provide a VA examination as required by McLendon v. Nicholson.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent from April 5, 2021.,Hypertension has been granted as service-connected.,Obstructive sleep apnea and heart disorders (including atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure) are also service-connected.,Migraines have been granted as service-connected.,The Veteran is now eligible for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's kidney disease and hypertension are currently rated as 80 percent disabling. The Board has granted a TDIU based on these conditions, effective April 19, 2009, and SMC at the housebound rate, also effective April 19, 2009.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hyperthyroidism due to herbicide exposure is dismissed as moot. Service connection for hypertension due to in-service herbicide exposure pursuant to the PACT Act and Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 is granted. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, remains pending.

The Veteran's hypertension is presumed to be due to herbicide exposure since August 10, 2022. Service connection for hypertension prior to this date remains available on a facts-found basis.,There is no current diagnosis of sickle cell anemia or related symptoms proximate in time to filing the claim. Therefore, service connection for sickle cell anemia is denied.,High cholesterol is not considered a disability for which VA compensation benefits are payable. Service connection for high cholesterol is therefore denied.,The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of facial swelling/angioedema and has not had one at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for hypertension, pulmonary vascular congestion, and heart condition due to incomplete VA examination and lack of private treatment records. The Veteran's service connection claim will be reconsidered with new evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected migraines, PTSD, and hypertension render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent from April 5, 2021.,Hypertension has been granted as service-connected.,Obstructive sleep apnea and heart disorders (including atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure) are also service-connected.,Migraines have been granted as service-connected.,The Veteran is now eligible for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities.

Your initial compensable rating for hypertension has been dismissed because you already had a pending appeal regarding the same issue at the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

Your appeal has been dismissed because the same rating actions have already been reviewed and decided by the Board.

The Veteran's hypertension is not exceptional and does not warrant a compensable evaluation.,Service connection for COPD is remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea was caused by his service-connected gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hypertension, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The claims for service connection for elevated blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) were denied as new relevant evidence was not received. The claim for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for the service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board is dismissing all issues related to PTSD, lumbar spine disorder, radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, and hypertension.

The Board found that the Veteran's request for a Higher Level Review was timely due to good cause, and thus the AOJ's decision denying service connection for various conditions is now reconsidered.

The Veteran's hypertension is rated as noncompensable, and the Board denied a higher rating.,The Veteran's radiculopathy of left lower extremity and right lower extremity are both rated at 20 percent.,The Veteran's bilateral eye cataracts do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension was denied in a June 1995 rating decision, which became final. The Veteran submitted a request to revise this decision on the grounds of clear and unmistakable error (CUE), alleging that his honorable period of service from February 14, 1968, until May 16, 1985, was incorrectly determined to be dishonorable. However, the Board found no CUE in the June 1995 rating decision.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received sufficient to reopen the claim for service connection for a right foot disorder. The claims of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea, hypertension, and left foot disorder are being remanded due to inadequate VA examination reports.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for hypertension and service connection for migraine headaches has been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show diastolic readings of predominantly 110 or more or systolic readings of 200 or more, and there is no current diagnosis of migraine headaches.

The Veteran's chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and cerebrovascular accident (CVA) are all granted as secondary to the service-connected conditions. The initial disability rating for hypertension is also granted.