Hypertension (high blood pressure) Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's assertions that his tinnitus, left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and nephropathy are related to his active service.

The Veteran's hypertension was reduced from 20% to 10%, effective April 5, 2006. His lumbosacral spine disorder remains at a 20% evaluation.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for additional development regarding whether new and material evidence supports reopening the Veteran's claim of service connection for hypertension.

The Board has ordered additional development for the Veteran's service connection claims, including obtaining his personnel records and scheduling him for a VA examination to determine if his diabetes mellitus Type II is related to service. The issues of reopening his hypertension, gout, and respiratory disability claims have also been remanded.

The Veteran's right knee condition is rated at 10 percent for a moderate level of instability, and the Board finds that this rating adequately reflects his disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension was not related to or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The issue of an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus is remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension and depression, finding that these conditions are not attributable to his active military service or to a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, hypertension as secondary to diabetes mellitus, and a cardiac disorder (coronary artery disease and tachycardia) have all been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of in-service stressors related to PTSD, and that there was no medical evidence linking the Veteran's current disabilities to service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, which is now being remanded for further development.

The Veteran is essentially so helpless as to need regular aid and attendance by another person, meeting the criteria for special monthly pension based on the need for aid and attendance.

The Board found that the Veteran's dental disability is not a disorder for which service connection can be granted for compensation purposes. The claim for service connection for hypertension was remanded due to insufficient information on whether it is directly related to or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board found that there is no evidence of a respiratory disorder or hypertension during service, and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to military service.

The Veteran's hypertension is related to his service in Vietnam and Agent Orange exposure. The Board has granted service connection for hypertension.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by, or substantially or materially contributed to by, any injury or disease incurred in or aggravated by active military service. The causes of his death - respiratory arrest, brain cancer, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension - were not linked to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension and scheduling of a Travel Board hearing.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have in-service exposure to herbicides and thus could not establish service connection for diabetes mellitus or hypertension on a presumptive basis. The Board also determined that there was no evidence of continuity of symptomatology since active service, leading to denial of both claims.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension. The Veteran's PTSD is related to his combat experiences in Vietnam, and he engaged in a battle at Ia Drang Valley in October 1965.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to medical questions regarding whether the Veteran's esophageal cancer was so overwhelming that eventual death could have been anticipated, and if so, whether his hypertension affected a vital organ (to include his kidneys) and was of such severity as to have a material influence in accelerating his death.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus with hypertension, cataracts and history of nonhemorrhagic stroke is granted. He also has a 20 percent evaluation for his diabetes. The Veteran does not have residuals from his traumatic brain injury or peripheral neuropathy that would warrant separate evaluations.

The Board has denied the Veteran's requests to reopen his claims for service connection for hypertension and residuals of a genitourinary infection. The claim for service connection for end-stage renal disease was not addressed as it is considered separately.