Hypertension (high blood pressure) Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional VA medical records and seeking records from private physicians. The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension will be reconsidered after these steps are completed.

The Board found no evidence to support a connection between the Veteran's hypertension and her service, including her service-connected PTSD. The Veteran's assertions regarding a relationship were not credible.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's hypertension is service connected as secondary to his service-connected PTSD with depression and associated alcohol and substance abuse.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities and a low back disability, both as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's hypertension is also considered secondary to his diabetes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a back disability, cardiovascular disorder, rectal bleeding, erectile dysfunction, psychiatric disorder, acid reflux, and hypercholesterolemia. The decision found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the claim of service connection for a back disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule him for a video hearing. The issues on appeal include service connection claims and reopening of previous claims.

The Board has withdrawn the claims of hypertension, bowel disability, and ear disability. The claim for PTSD is reopened due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Veteran is entitled to service connection for right ear hearing loss and bilateral heel spurs. His hypertension was not incurred or aggravated during service.,Right ear hearing loss is considered a disability based on auditory threshold measurements, and the Veteran experienced in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the appellant's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain and maintain gainful employment, and a total disability rating for compensation based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disorders is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is not related to his service or his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a CVA as secondary to diabetes mellitus and hypertension is denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection, and the final RO rating decisions deny service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

The Veteran's appeal regarding a higher rating for his service-connected hypertension has been withdrawn before the Board could make a decision.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension and bilateral hearing loss. The issues on appeal are whether the Veteran is entitled to service connection for hypertension (to include as due to herbicide exposure and as secondary to PTSD) and for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's cause of death was pneumonia due to Shy-Drager syndrome. The Board found that there is no evidence linking the Veteran's Shy-Drager syndrome or hypertension to service, including any in-service antimalarial medications. Therefore, service connection for the cause of death and accrued benefits were denied.

The Board has determined that the claims for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, actinic keratosis, and enlarged prostate are intertwined with the diabetes mellitus type 2 claim. The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to determine whether he has been granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2, and consequently, his claims for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, actinic keratosis, and enlarged prostate.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or related to service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for retinopathy and an increased evaluation for a bilateral hearing loss disability. The evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran had current diagnoses of these conditions, or that they were related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions on the relationship between his sleep apnea and hypertension to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The effective date for awards of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is set at October 4, 2012.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as 20 percent disabling under Diagnostic Code 6100. However, this rating is not higher than the maximum allowed based on his audiometric test results.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is chronically aggravated by his service-connected PTSD, and therefore grants the claim for service connection.