Hypertension (high blood pressure) Board decisions

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death and the claim for VA Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance benefits under Chapter 35. The immediate cause of the Veteran's death was acute respiratory failure secondary to bilateral pulmonary emboli, right lung infarction, left health care associated pneumonia, sepsis with sepsis shock and staphylococcal bacteremia, status post left cerebral infarction with post t-PA thrombolysis, atrial fibrillation and dyslipidemia. Other significant conditions contributing to death included type two diabetes mellitus, hypertension, emphysema and aspiration pneumonia.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death during the course of the appeal process.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for spondylosis of the thoracolumbar spine has been granted. The claims for allergies, hearing loss, glaucoma, and rheumatoid arthritis and/or arthritis of the cervical spine, elbows, wrists, and hips have also been granted with appropriate ratings. Other claims were denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension warrants a compensable rating of 10 percent since August 13, 2008.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to PTSD and adhesive pericarditis, is being remanded due to the need for additional development including an examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU either on a schedular or an extraschedular basis.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, cervical spine disability, erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and right and left knee disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected back disability. The decision also addressed issues related to TDIU.

The Board found no evidence of a diagnosis for depression and denied service connection for both depression and hypertension. The Veteran's current diagnoses are not related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including searching morning reports from March 1964 and April 1964 to determine if the Veteran set foot in Vietnam. The claims will be readjudicated after this development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not have its onset in active duty service and is not otherwise related to active duty service. The Board also found that hypertension was not caused or permanently aggravated by any of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that hypertension did not have its clinical onset in service and is not otherwise related to active duty. It was not incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated during active service, may not be presumed to have been so incurred, and is not secondarily related to a service-connected condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and is not proximately due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome issue resulted in a denial of an initial rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board found that hypertension was not incurred in service and is not related to any service-connected disability. The Veteran's blood pressure readings during service were within normal limits, and there is no evidence of a chronic condition manifesting within one year after service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing, special home adaptation assistance, or financial assistance in purchasing an automobile and adaptive equipment.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability and determined that new evidence supports this reopening. The Veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions, including back, knee, foot, elbow, hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus type 2, heart disease, or psychiatric disorders, that were incurred in or aggravated by his service.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an additional medical opinion regarding the Veteran's hypertension claim, specifically addressing whether it is related to service and if it is aggravated by diabetes.

The Board finds that the Veteran's hypertension was not shown during service or for many years thereafter, and there is no evidence linking it to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. Therefore, the claim for service connection for hypertension as secondary to diabetes mellitus is denied.

The Board finds that the Veteran's swelling of the lower extremities is a manifestation of his service-connected hypertension, and thus not a separate disability warranting service connection.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for hypertension and finds that new and material evidence has been submitted. The claim is now considered to be well-grounded.