Hypertension (high blood pressure) Board decisions

The Veteran's unauthorized private medical expenses incurred on December 9, 2003 at Parrish Medical Center were not reimbursable because the services provided were not rendered in a medical emergency and VA facilities were feasibly available.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is not related to service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for a new examination to evaluate the etiology of hypertension and determine if it is at least as likely as not caused or permanently aggravated by service-connected bipolar disorder.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claim.

The Veteran's PTSD with depression is rated at 70 percent effective June 1, 2010. He also meets the schedular requirements for TDIU and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records and further medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension have been denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the conditions and his active duty service, including exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to address the relationship between his hypertension and his service-connected conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his hypertension contributed to his brain hemorrhage due to metastatic melanoma.

The Veteran's hypertension and cerebrovascular accident were not diagnosed during service or within one year of separation, and there is no competent evidence linking these conditions to his military service or a service-connected disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension was not incurred in service and is not presumed to have been incurred in service. The Board also determined that the Veteran's current hypertension is not related to his service-connected DM or IHD.

The Board has remanded the case for another VA examination to clarify the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension, including whether it is related to service or his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and an addendum medical opinion from a VA TDIU examiner. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are considered in determining whether they make him unemployable.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection in several areas, including sensitive feet, bilateral knee disability, right leg disability, back disability, weight gain, sleep disorder, hypertension, and psychiatric disorder. The decisions were based on lack of direct causal nexus to military service or secondary service connection due to a pre-existing condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and diabetes mellitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may they be presumed to have been incurred therein. The disabilities are less likely than not related to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's diagnosed hypertension is not related to his military service and is not due to or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted, and the issues of initial ratings for various service-connected conditions are dismissed due to withdrawal requests.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, secondary to diabetes mellitus, has been reopened and is granted. Service connection for a disability manifested by voiding dysfunction, also secondary to diabetes mellitus, is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension was not manifested during his active military service and is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his active military service. The VA examiner determined that the Veteran's current hypertension was less likely than not caused by or the result of his active military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for kidney disease was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, in-service incurrence or aggravation of a disease or injury; and a causal relationship between the present disability and the disease or injury incurred or aggravated during service. The Board also found that the preponderance of the evidence is against the claim for service connection for hypertension.