Hypertension (high blood pressure) Board decisions

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II, prostate cancer, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction are all granted as service connected due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his service at U-Tapao Royal Thai Air Force Base. The effective date is August 10, 2022, the day after the PACT Act was enacted.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction, diabetic retinopathy, and bilateral cataracts has been granted a disability rating of 40 percent for the entire period on appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, and hypertension due to potential exposure to herbicides during active duty training at Fort Chaffee in July and August 1975. The AOJ is instructed to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA toxicologist regarding residual dioxin exposure.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral eye disability, hypertension, headaches, and sleep apnea have been dismissed. The claims for hypertension and headaches are to be reconsidered due to new evidence received after the initial denial.

The Board has denied the claim for CUE in the October 1998 rating decision denying service connection for high blood pressure. The case is remanded to determine if the Veteran's high blood pressure was related to his service and whether it contributed to or hastened his death.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, leading to the grant of TDIU from March 20, 2018.

The Veteran's appeal regarding a rating in excess of 70 percent for unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder is dismissed. Service connection for hypertension and hypertensive heart disease are granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension was caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, hypertension, and sleep apnea due to new evidence. However, these claims are still pending as they have been remanded for additional development.

Service connection is granted for diabetes, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of all four extremities, and erectile dysfunction.,Service connection is denied for a chronic lumbar spine disorder.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were dismissed. The Board found that the evidence was in equipoise as to whether the Veteran had right knee instability, warranting a separate 10% disability rating. Other issues are remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection and compensation for various conditions resulting from VA medical treatment has been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeals.,The claims have been reopened, but no new evidence was provided.

The Board has remanded the claims for posttraumatic stress disorder, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, allergic rhinitis, bilateral foot condition, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, right knee pain, left knee pain, degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, sleep apnea, and benign prostatic hypertrophy due to incomplete service treatment records.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service connected due to exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty in Vietnam, effective from the date of the decision.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension on a non-PACT Act basis due to in-service exposure to Agent Orange, finding that the current diagnosis of hypertension is caused by this exposure and resolving all doubts in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's hypertension and remanded the issue of total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to November 12, 2015.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, service connection for left knee and right shoulder disorders, and HTN have been denied. The appeals are dismissed as the submitted evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and secondary service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as related to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hypertension is presumed due to herbicide exposure, while OSA is considered secondary to PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of an initial VA examination for hypertension, which may be associated with service. The Veteran's statements and in-service blood pressure readings support this need.