Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service-connected due to exposure to herbicides in the Korean DMZ, under the PACT Act.

The appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD) is dismissed.,The appeals for service connection for a back disorder, bilateral foot disorders including fallen arches, left ankle disorder, right ankle disorder, and high blood pressure are all dismissed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to insufficient evidence and need further evaluation. The initial ratings for bronchial asthma with bronchitis, erectile dysfunction (ED), coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension, left carotid artery blockage status post endarterectomy, cerebral vascular accident (CVA), double bypass heart surgery with lower heart valve replacement, painful sternotomy scar secondary to heart surgery, hyperlipidemia, type two diabetes mellitus (DM-II), chronic sinusitis, recurrent colonic polyps, left middle finger condition, and left ring finger condition are also remanded.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it is presumptively linked to his military service due to exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his transverse myelitis with sarcoidosis was related to his military service or a service-connected disability and ultimately resulted in his death. The Board resolved all reasonable doubt in favor of the appellant.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee condition as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected pes planus, but denied service connection for a right hip condition and hypertension.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for hypertension to obtain an addendum opinion addressing whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's hypertension is related to his military service, including the stress of serving in Vietnam.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service connected, with a rating of 100% effective from the date of this decision.,Service connection for COPD on a direct basis is granted, with a rating of 100% effective from August 10, 2022.

Service connection is granted for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The Veteran also received a grant of TDIU prior to March 30, 2023.

The Board remands the issue of entitlement to an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for hypertension due to insufficient evidence.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and remanded the claims for hypertension, a kidney disorder, and an eye disorder.

The Veteran's arthritis, bilateral knees and carpal tunnel were not found to be related to service. The Board determined that the evidence did not support a finding of in-service onset or connection.,The Veteran's emphysema was attributed to her smoking habit rather than exposure during service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, with pure tone thresholds of up to 65 decibels in both ears.,His hypertension is currently rated at 10 percent under DC 7101. The Board found that his diastolic pressure has not been predominantly 110 mm or more and his systolic pressure has not been predominantly 200 mm or more, thus preventing a higher rating.

All claims for service connection related to sleep apnea, skin disability (undiagnosed illness), chronic sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, hypercholesterolemia, headache disability, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, hypertension/high blood pressure, and type II diabetes mellitus have been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to the failure to file a subsequent Notice of Disagreement after filing for Higher-Level Review.

The Board has found duty-to-assist errors in developing the claims for stomach cancer and hypertension, and has remanded these issues back to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) for further development.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hypertension was dismissed as a matter of law because there was no prior adjudication to disagree with.

The Veteran's hypertension is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for uncontrollable high blood pressure, finding that there was no nexus between her current diagnosis and her service-connected disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding of an in-service incurrence or onset of hypertension.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to a lack of VA examinations and potential violations of the duty to assist.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a scar of the chin and lower lip, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, watery eyes, sleep disability, right collar bone pain, skin disability of the toenails (tinea unguium), skin disability claimed as a back rash due to an allergic reaction, chronic dizziness, erectile dysfunction, and chronic headache disability have been granted. The claims for service connection for these conditions are now considered resolved.