Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2024

Service connection for tinnitus is granted.,Service connection for hypertension, due to herbicide exposure on a facts-found basis, is granted.,Service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, PTSD, nephrolithiasis, bilateral hearing loss, and hemorrhoids due to a lack of adequate examination opinions regarding service connection. The PACT Act requires VA to provide an examination or obtain a medical opinion when a Veteran has qualifying toxic exposure during service.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and a back condition due to errors in obtaining relevant medical records and service treatment records. The Veteran's periods of active duty, ADT, IDT, and Reserve service need to be confirmed.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, heart condition, DMII, nephropathy, prostate cancer, skin cancer, gallbladder condition, arthritis, and hypertension are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran's service connection claim for left ear sensorineural hearing loss was denied. For hypertension, a higher initial disability rating of 10 percent but no higher was granted from August 10, 2022. The claim for right ear hearing loss resulted in denial with a noncompensable (0%) initial disability rating.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted on a direct basis due to in-service herbicide exposure.,Service connection for the heart disability, secondary to service-connected hypertension, is granted. The Veteran's bone soreness claim is readjudicated as part of his follicular lymphoma case.,There is no current evidence of bone soreness and the issue has been readjudicated.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction, overactive bladder, and dyspepsia/gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as secondary to his service-connected hypertension are remanded due to insufficient information in the record.

The Veteran's service-connected hypertension is being remanded for the VA to obtain his emergency room records from March 13, 2023. The current rating assigned is not compensable.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease and hypertension prevent him from securing or following any substantially gainful occupation, but the AOJ did not consider all relevant evidence in making its decision. The Board is remanding to schedule updated VA examinations and refer the issue for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings were dismissed due to his death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these claims as he died during the appeal process.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and need for a medical opinion regarding service connection for hypertension, including its relation to service-connected sleep apnea and Persian Gulf War exposure.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted an increased rating to 10 percent, while his bilateral feet onychomycosis remains at a noncompensable rating.

The Veteran's hypertension has been granted a 10 percent rating, but no higher. The issue of entitlement to a compensable rating for hypothyroidism is remanded due to inadequate examination.

Service connection is granted for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hypertension, cervical strain, and left hamstring impairment. Service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome is remanded.

The Veteran's cervical strain is related to his active service and the claim for this condition has been granted. The claims for hypertension, TBI, back disability, migraine headaches, right knee disability, and left knee disability are remanded due to errors in the duty to assist.

The Veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected disabilities, but the Board is remanding for a VA oncologist to provide an opinion on whether his mesothelioma could be causally related to his service or if it contributed substantially and materially to his death.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and migraines have been withdrawn. The Board has remanded the issues of a disability evaluation in excess of 60 percent for residuals of a crush injury of the C7 vertebra with radiculopathy and TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, residuals of a broken nose, and hypertension do not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied an initial compensable rating for hypertension and remanded the issue of service connection for a heart disability due to insufficient evidence showing required blood pressure readings.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to his military service and secondary to his service-connected lumbar strain disability.