Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2024

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and erectile dysfunction as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for Type II diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy with hypertension, as well as his TDIU claim, are being remanded due to the need to obtain SSA records.

The Veteran's hypertension is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current level of severity and functional impairment.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable evaluation for migraine headaches was dismissed. The Board also remanded the claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension due to a lack of a pre-decisional duty to obtain an opinion regarding secondary service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and heart condition due to a duty-to-assist error and a potential TERA claim.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for hypertension and diabetes due to incomplete records from Dr. W.R.

The Veteran's hypertension and major depressive disorder have been granted initial ratings of 10 percent and 70 percent, respectively. The effective dates for these ratings are not specified.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension (claimed as high blood pressure), and high cholesterol due to a lack of current diagnoses in the record.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for pulmonary fibrosis and entitlement to SMC on housebound rate is granted. The Veteran meets the criteria for a 100 percent schedular rating for his pulmonary fibrosis, which also satisfies the requirement of having more than 60 percent combined in separate service-connected disabilities for SMC at the housebound rate.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease, prostate cancer residuals, hypertension, and stroke/stroke residuals have been granted. The grants are based on presumptive exposure to herbicide agents during service.,Service connection has also been granted for carotid artery disease and erectile dysfunction, but the issues remain pending as they are related to other granted conditions.

The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and none of his service-connected conditions were significant contributors to his death. The Veteran did not meet the criteria for TDIU as he could perform sedentary work despite his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's disability rating for hypertension was reduced from 60% to 10%, but the Board found this reduction improper and restored the original 60% rating.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as presumptively related to in-service herbicide agent exposure under the PACT Act. The issues of service connection for sleep apnea, left foot neuropathy, right foot neuropathy, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran's hypertension, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, and TDIU claims are being remanded due to the need for additional development.,An earlier effective date for DEA benefits is denied as it would precede the grant of TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable disability rating for hypertension is dismissed. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for coronary artery disease, prostate cancer, and type II diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's hypertension is service-connected and has led to cardiomyopathy and atypical chest pain. The Board granted service connection for these conditions secondary to the service-connected hypertension.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates of November 18, 2020 for the separate evaluation of hypertension and secondary service connection for chronic renal disease and congestive heart failure to hypertension. The underlying hypertension was initially presumed based on herbicide exposure under the PACT Act.

The Veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than August 10, 2022, and initial compensable rating for hypertension are denied. The Board also finds that the Veteran's nerve disabilities (left and right lower extremity radiculopathy or peripheral neuropathy) need to be remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's cause of death was due to anoxic brain damage, shock, gastrointestinal bleeding, and portal hypertension. The Board has decided to remand the case for further development regarding the Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II as a contributory cause of his death.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease was granted a 10 percent evaluation from December 26, 2017 to August 26, 2021. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increase in his evaluation beyond this period.