Hypertension (high blood pressure) Board decisions

The Board has remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for obesity due to conflicting opinions and the need for further development. The Veteran's obesity is being reviewed with respect to her service-connected conditions, including major depression, status post parotidectomy/Frey's syndrome, hypothyroidism/Graves' disease, and hypertension.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is not related to service or to in-service herbicide agent exposure, nor is it secondary to his service-connected diabetes. Therefore, the claim for service connection for hypertension is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not meet the criteria for direct service connection and rejecting presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure. The Board also found no secondary service connection due to diabetes mellitus.

The Board finds that the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam or have duties near the perimeter of a Thailand air base, and thus cannot establish exposure to herbicide agents. As such, service connection for DM, HTN, PN, and an eye disorder cannot be granted on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's hypertension and bilateral hearing loss have been rated as noncompensable throughout the rating period on appeal. The medical evidence does not support a compensable disability rating for either condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and COPD, finding that the evidence does not support a link to his military service or any other condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension have been denied as there is no evidence of their onset in service or within one year after separation, and the Board finds that they are not related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sarcoidosis, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension due to herbicide exposure. The claim for prostate cancer is pending as it was not addressed in this decision.

The Board has remanded the claims due to incomplete consideration of all evidence and inadequate addendum opinions. The Veteran's hypertension and diabetes mellitus are being reviewed again for possible aggravation by his periods of active service.

The Veteran's service-connected chronic renal failure with hypertension provides a greater benefit than the requested nonservice-connected pension benefits and TDIU. Therefore, these claims are dismissed.

The Veteran's service-connected depression with PTSD and anxiety warrants a 70 percent rating for the entire period on appeal. The Board found that his symptoms cannot be distinguished from each other, so all psychiatric symptoms are considered in the adjudication of the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death was shock resulting from bleeding secondary to a femoral catheter insertion, with end-stage renal disease as the underlying cause. The evidence does not support service connection for hypertension, end-stage renal disease, or shock due to femoral catheter insertion.

The Veteran's death pension and accrued benefits appeals were dismissed as the Appellant withdrew her claims. The DIC claim was remanded for additional development.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder and granted a higher rating of 30 percent for GERD. The Veteran's hypertension is rated at 10 percent, tinnitus at 10 percent, and bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating.

The Veteran's hypertension has not been found to meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,His sleep apnea claim was denied as he does not have a diagnosed condition of sleep apnea, but rather insomnia related to his service-connected anxiety and depression.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are denied as the evidence does not support a finding of in-service exposure to herbicide agents or any other form of presumed exposure. The diagnoses do not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to the need for additional development and examination, including for a VA examination regarding his hypertension.

The Veteran's causes of death (acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, and hypertension) were not service-connected. The residuals of a fractured right rib at a noncompensable level did not cause or contribute substantially to the Veteran's death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a right leg condition, cervical sprain, and hypertension. The Veteran's seizure disorder claim was also denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis. The Veteran's non-service-connected pension benefits claim was denied due to lack of legal merit.

The Veteran's claim for SMC payable at the housebound rate prior to May 3, 2008 was denied as he did not meet the criteria for this benefit due to his service-connected disabilities.