Hypertension (high blood pressure) Board decisions

The veteran's claims for service connection for arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes mellitus as secondary to his service-connected familial Mediterranean fever are being remanded for further review.

The Board found that the appellant is not blind or nearly blind, in a nursing home, or permanently housebound by reason of disability. Therefore, she does not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound.

The Board found that the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is not well grounded due to insufficient evidence linking hypertension, a nonservice-connected condition, to PTSD, a service-connected condition.

The veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations and special monthly compensation were denied. The service-connected lumbosacral spine disability remains at a 60 percent rating, which is the maximum under applicable criteria.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection due to tobacco use in service are not well grounded, and therefore denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension and avascular necrosis of the hips are proximately due to or the result of his service-connected residuals of an injury to T-8 and T-9 with arthritis and wedging.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected hypertension, finding that the evidence did not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension is not shown to be more than 10 percent disabling, as there were no findings of diastolic pressure predominantly 110 or more, or systolic pressure predominantly 200 or more. The current 10 percent rating assigned under either the old or new criteria for evaluating hypertension is appropriate.

The Board has granted service connection for a disability of the ankles and feet manifested by dependent edema as secondary to the veteran's service-connected knee disability. The claims for obesity and hypertension are denied.

The Board has determined that there is no competent medical evidence to support a finding of current stomach ulcers, an acquired psychiatric disorder, hypertension, or allergic rhinitis and sinusitis. The claims are therefore denied.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and denied the claim of service connection for a skin disorder claimed as due to exposure to Agent Orange. The veteran's hypertension is found to be incurred during active military service, while his skin disorder does not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure.

The Board has ordered the RO to obtain all relevant medical records, including ophthalmology reports. The veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on need for aid and attendance or being housebound is remanded due to incomplete information.

The Board has determined that the appellant's solar keratoses (pre-cancerous) of the forehead and scalp, excessive tooth loss with bone loss, and fragile skin with excessive bruising are related to service exposure to ionizing radiation. The claims for these conditions have been granted.

The veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease with left ventricular dysfunction, cardiac enlargement and hypertension was rated at 60 percent from March 22, 1996 to January 11, 1998.

The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals concerning service connection for hypertension and an eye condition, as well as her attempts to reopen previously denied claims for ear infections and pain and numbness of the extremities. The evidence submitted did not meet the criteria for new and material evidence.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and a chronic acquired abdominal disorder to include stomach ulcers and GERD, but finds that these claims are not well grounded.

The Board denied service connection for heart disease and hypertension, finding the veteran's claim to be not well grounded due to her self-limited peripartum cardiomyopathy and gestational hypertension.

The veteran's PTSD is productive of considerable social and occupational impairment, with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks due to symptoms including sleeplessness, irritability, anxiety, and social isolation. The disability does not meet the criteria for more severe impairment.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for glomerulonephritis with hypertension and carotid occlusion, finding that the condition is primarily manifested by well-controlled hypertension, slight edema, and carotid artery disease without symptoms. The evidence does not support a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic code.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for PTSD, hypertension (including as secondary to PTSD), and a chronic skin disorder are not well-grounded because there is no credible evidence of an in-service stressor or exposure to Agent Orange. As such, service connection cannot be granted.