Hypertension (high blood pressure) Board decisions

The Veteran's hypertension has been rated at 10 percent since the grant of service connection. The Board finds that additional development is needed to determine if a higher rating is warranted.

The Veteran's bilateral hip disability, avascular necrosis, is proximately due to his service-connected HIV. The Veteran's depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorder has been rated as 50% since July 8, 2011.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is related to his service in Vietnam, specifically Agent Orange exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection for hypertension is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings and earlier effective dates for his service connection and compensation for diabetes mellitus with hypertension, as well as his claim for kidney cancer on the basis of substitution. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran required regulation of activities or hospitalizations due to his diabetes mellitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disability did not have its onset in active service or for several years thereafter, and it is not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by a service-connected left ankle disability. The Board also found that the Veteran's hypertension was not incurred in service, did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year following separation from service, and is not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by a service-connected left ankle disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and SSA disability determination records. The Veteran's claims for service connection are not yet decided.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, as well as hypertension and hepatomegaly, all found to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The kidney disorder (including proteinuria) is not currently addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's claims for knee, PTSD, and TBI were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for service connection in any of these cases.

The Veteran's representative has withdrawn all pending claims, including those for service connection and an increased rating for PTSD.

The Veteran's July 31, 2003 application for pension is considered a claim for service-connected compensation. The effective date of the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic renal failure with hypertension is set at July 31, 2003.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, status-post discectomy and laminectomy with herniated nucleus pulposus at L4-5, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity were denied as there is no legal basis upon which to award separate schedular ratings for each ear or a higher schedular rating for tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected tinnitus and initial noncompensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss have been granted. Service connection has also been established for hypertension and prostate disability, with a compensable rating assigned for the latter condition.

The Veteran's hypertension was not diagnosed within one year of discharge from service and is not related to her service-connected cervical spine degenerative disc disease (DDD). The Board finds that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for additional development, including issuing a statement of the case on the issue of entitlement to TDIU. The Veteran will have an opportunity to appeal this decision if he chooses.

The Veteran's hypertension is being remanded for further examination and opinion to determine its relationship to service-connected conditions. His claim for a compensable disability rating for erectile dysfunction is also being remanded.

The Board finds that the Veteran is not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities and therefore, does not meet the criteria for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obesity and hypertension are secondary to his service-connected left thigh contusion and bilateral knee degeneration, respectively.

The Veteran's appeal for right knee disability was withdrawn. The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is related to his in-service exposure to Agent Orange and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the appellant withdrew her appeal prior to a decision being made by the Board.

The Veteran's acne and hypertension were found to be service-connected, with no specific rating assigned.