Hypertension (high blood pressure) Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including chronic fatigue syndrome and sinusitis, have significantly interfered with her ability to maintain or obtain substantially gainful employment. The case is REMANDED for referral to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for consideration of whether a TDIU on an extraschedular basis is warranted.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, with complications of hypertension and bilateral retinopathy, does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent. The Board found that the Veteran's activities were not regulated due to his service-connected diabetes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling him for VA examinations to evaluate the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, claimed as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a new opinion regarding the relationship between the conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension was not due to a disease or injury incurred in service, and it is not presumed to have been incurred in service. The Board also determined that the disability is not caused or aggravated by the service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's hypertension has been manifested by diastolic pressure consistently below 100 and systolic pressure consistently below 160. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against a compensable rating for hypertension.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder disability, throat ulcers, hypertension, GERD, and fatigue. The decision is based on the current evidence not showing additional impairment beyond sensory disturbances in both feet.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, effective March 16, 2005.,The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as his service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's hypertension and scars of the chest and left lower extremity have been evaluated as noncompensable under VA rating criteria. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a compensable evaluation for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The initial compensable evaluation and increased rating claim for residuals of laceration scar over right eye was denied, as the scars do not meet criteria for a compensable evaluation. The claim for an increased evaluation for fracture at the distal head of the right fifth metacarpal (dominant) was also denied. Service connection for hypertension, secondary to herbicide exposure, and service connection for a right arm disorder were both denied. PTSD was granted as incurred in active military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's disabilities, in combination, are of sufficient severity to permanently preclude him from engaging in substantially gainful employment consistent with his age, education, and occupation experience. Therefore, he is entitled to non-service-connected disability pension benefits.

The Veteran's bilateral foot disorder is found to be at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected lumbar spine condition with radiculopathy.,There is no evidence of a current disability manifested by hyperlipidemia (and elevated cholesterol levels) that is due to disease or injury incurred in service.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for additional VA treatment records and an opinion regarding the Veteran's hypertension and peripheral neuropathy claims.

The Board has reopened the claims for hypertension and heart disorder, but denied the petition to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected PTSD, granting service connection for this condition.,Regarding the heart disorder, the VA examiner concluded it was not at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to address whether hypertension is related to service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, and PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Veteran is granted a 10% rating for hammertoes of the left foot, but no higher.,Hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor may service incurrence or aggravation be presumed.

The Veteran's hypertension is not service-connected as there is no evidence of a diagnosis within the first year after separation from service. The Board finds that he does not meet the threshold income criteria for non-service connected pension benefits.

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

The Veteran's hypertension was not incurred or aggravated during his service, and the Board finds that it is not otherwise related to service.