Hypertension (high blood pressure) Board decisions

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied due to his PTSD disability, but the RO has since granted service connection for additional disabilities including diabetic renal disease with hypertension. The Board finds that further development is needed as there are no opinions addressing whether the Veteran's combined service-connected disabilities render him unemployable.

The Veteran's hypertension has been rated as 10 percent disabling. The Board found that the evidence does not show that his systolic blood pressure is predominantly 200 or more or that his diastolic pressure is predominately 110 or more, which are required for a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension did not have its onset during active duty or within the initial year after separation, is not related to any period of active service, and is not due to or the result of a service-connected disability. Therefore, service connection for hypertension was denied.

The Veteran's hypertension was not present during his military service, and there is no evidence linking it to service. The Board denied the claim for service connection as the condition did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal has been remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining relevant medical records and attempting to obtain service treatment records from the Saigon military hospital. The Veteran is also advised that he may need to provide evidence linking his lumbar spine disability to Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal on all pending claims before the Board, including service connection for hypertension and psychiatric disorders, as well as various arthritis and skin conditions ratings. The total disability rating based on individual unemployability was also withdrawn.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for venous stasis, hypertension, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.

The Board found that there is no current diagnosis of hypertension and thus denied the claim for service connection. The Veteran's migraine headaches are not secondary to his service-connected sinusitis.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claims, including obtaining SSA records, VA treatment records, and a VA examination for his prostate disorder and hepatitis C.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for clarification on whether hypertension was caused or aggravated by service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Veteran is asked to submit studies supporting his claim.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA examination to address the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and hypertension.

The Veteran's claims for additional disability of hypertension, vision problems, and tinnitus are denied as there is no evidence showing that these conditions were caused by the improper dosage of thyroid medication prescribed at the VA CBOC in Logan, West Virginia.

The Board is remanding the case to determine if the Veteran's hypertension is related to his service, including presumed exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. The issue of secondary service connection for diabetes mellitus will also be reconsidered.

The Board found no evidence of Agent Orange exposure and thus could not establish service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions based on herbicide exposure. The claims were denied.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for vision disability and hypertension, as well as his claim for a higher rating for coronary artery disease. This includes obtaining VA examinations to determine the etiology of these conditions and assessing their relationship to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes, nephropathy with voiding dysfunction, neuropathy of the lower and upper extremities, retinopathy, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, and coronary artery disease are all denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other service connection criteria met.

The Veteran's hypertension and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction have been evaluated at a 10% rating since the initial grant of service connection in September 1997. The current appeal seeks an increased rating, but the evidence does not support such a finding.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, arranging for a pathologist's review of the Veteran's death, and providing an opinion on the causes of his death.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and granted it. The Veteran is also granted an initial evaluation of 10 percent for his sensorimotor radiculopathy, right arm.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred on May 11, 2010 were reimbursed as the emergency treatment was necessary due to a serious threat to his health and delay in seeking immediate care would have been hazardous.