Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2024

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for total disability for individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his service-connected conditions did not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

Your initial claim for a compensable rating for pulmonary hypertension disease has been granted, and you are now receiving the highest available rating. The effective date is set to August 10, 2022.

The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection based on exposure to herbicide agents. The Board finds that a remand is necessary due to the failure to obtain VA examination records and historic blood pressure readings, as well as potential need for SMC based on aid and attendance.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted under the PACT Act, but the effective date cannot be earlier than August 10, 2022. The claim for service connection prior to this date is remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including failing to obtain medical opinions and examinations prior to issuing the December 2023 rating decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors and a need for further medical opinion regarding the relation between the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his cause of death.

The Veteran's service connection claim for sinusitis is granted based on exposure to fine particulate matter during his service in the Southwest Asia theater. The claim for hypertension remains pending and requires additional development.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension on a direct basis, finding that the evidence is approximately evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's hypertension is related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and back disorder are not related to his service, but has found a need for further examination and opinion regarding these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for SMC based on the need for aid and attendance prior to December 15, 2021 was denied as there is no evidence showing he required regular aid and assistance due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left lower extremity was granted an increased rating to 40 percent, and his service connection claim for dementia was denied. Other claims were remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for deviated septum and rhinitis are granted, while his claim for hypertension is denied. The Veteran also has pending issues regarding a rating in excess of 10 percent for left thumb sprain, service connection for insomnia as secondary to service-connected tinnitus or service-connected rhinitis, and service connection for right ankle disability.

The Board has denied service connection for lung condition, kidney condition, diabetes mellitus type II, erectile dysfunction (ED), left knee condition, right knee condition, and hypertension.

The Veteran's sleep-disordered breathing, hypertension, inflammatory enthesopathy of the left hand, and arthritis of the left hand are all found to be related to his service. The Veteran is granted a disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD with unspecified neurocognitive disorder effective August 18, 2017.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis is denied. The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for hypertension due to potential toxic exposure risk activities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ingrown toenail is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.,The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for testicular hypofunction is denied due to lack of evidence showing VA treatment caused or worsened his condition.,The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for hypertension is denied as there is no current diagnosis of a heart condition.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right lower external cutaneous radiculopathy are remanded due to insufficient evidence.,The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for GERD is denied as the condition does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to October 27, 2021 for a TDIU was denied as the evidence did not show he had been unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities prior to that date.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable prior to August 10, 2022. Beginning August 10, 2022, his combined disability rating is 100 percent and the issue of TDIU is dismissed as moot due to the presence of other service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for right knee septic arthritis, seizures, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus as the evidence did not support a finding of a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service. The left knee condition was remanded for further development.