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Hypertension And Heart Failure

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JessM

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I have a few question, but here is a little background first. I served in the Navy from 1993-2003. When I got out, I was awarded service connection and compensation for Asthma 30%, Acid Reflux 10%, Tinnitus 10%, and Hypertension 10%. I have a few others rated at 0% but do not remember them off the top of my head.

In January/February of this year (2015) I went to VA medical with some complaints and was subsequently diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy. To be frank, I am a bit unclear about all my diagnosis; it has been a bit of a trial for my family considering I just turned 40 I feel shellshocked. In the initial diagnosis I was told I had an enlarged heart and from there I had an ECHO and was told that I have an EF<10%. Since then I have had a catherization and 2 stents placed in 1 artery. I go back in for surgery on June 12th to have another stenting procedure on a different artery.

So perhaps I jumped the gun but in March I applied for compensation for the heart failure. I recently received back the denial notice. It was perhaps my understanding that because I had been diagnosed with service connected hypertension and have received compensation for it since I separated in 2003 that the heart failure would be related to that hypertension, especially since I was told by a VA doctor that part of my heart failure was related to the hypertension.

I am going to file my appeal, but I wanted some advice before I do so, don't want to jump the gun again. What should I actually appeal? Their language in the denial notice speaks to not having any complaints or symptoms while active duty, do I need to spell out in my appeal that I am claiming the heart failure is a direct result of the hypertension? Any other items that I need to consider?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

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Maybe you need to file a claim to service connect Coronary Artery Disease.

Possible Explanation of Abbreviations and Terms used above:

AD Active Duty

BP Blood Pressure

BVA Board of Veterans Appeals

cardiomegaly - enlarged heart

CAD Coronary Artery Disease

Cath - Catheter Ablation of Heart

C& P Compensation and Pension

CUE Clear and Unmistakable Error

DX Diagonosis

DX'ed Diagnosed

ECHO Echocardiogram

EF Ejection Fraction

EKG Echocardiogram

Essential Hypertension - A finding that there is no known cause for a veteran's hypertension.

HBP High Blood Pressure

HF Heart Failure

HTN Hypertension

IME Independent Medical Examination

IU Individual Unemployability

LV Left Ventricular

LV Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction

METs

NOD Notice of Disagreement

PH Pulmonary Hypertension???

Pre-Cath Before Catheter Ablation

Quad Bypass- Quadruple Bypass of four arteries

RCA Right Coronary Artery

RO Regional Office

RV Right Ventricular

SC Service Connected

STR Service Treatment Records

VARO [Department of] Veterans Affairs Regional Office

VSO Veterans Service Officer

I am unsure of the following abbreviations:

CM

DTA

FDC

SA

DBQ

IMO Independent Medical Opinion

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I really appreciated all the advice that I received here so wanted to update this post on the result of what I decided to do.

 

For a recap, I originally applied for compensation due to heart failure on 03/18/2015 and was denied.

 

In the end, I decided to file a new claim instead of appeal.  I filed the claim on 05/18/2015 but put it specifically under “arteriosclerotic heart disease secondary to hypertension (Secondary)”

 

To reiterate all my medical treatment has been through the VA.

 

On June 30, 2015, I had a P&C consultative exam with a different VA doc in a clinic I didn’t go to.  I thought it was odd since all my records were VA, but in the end, I realized it was part of the process and that she had to do a write up about my case specifically for pension and compensation.

 

About 3 weeks later, sometime in late July, the status of my claim on eBenefits changed to something like “pending decision.”  I have checked every day since on the status.

 

Today the case cleared and on the disabilities page it has me rated at 100%.  Even better when I went and checked the benefit verification letter it stated that my start date for 100% was April 1st, so they went with the original date I filed in March as my onset instead of the one in May.

 

I hope this helps someone out there and gives a bit of hope, because I know how crushed I felt when I was originally denied.  Good luck to everyone.

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The fact that you were diagnosed with moderate pulmonary htn is a key. Pulmonary htn leads to hypertensive heart disease, which is what the VA rated me on when I file my claim for aggravated htn. I am on my tablet now, but tomorrow I will up load a key email from my cardio doc that connects htn to heart disease.

Disregard, you have 100% rating, but you may be entitled to more, did not read your last post entirely. Congrats!!

Edited by vern2
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This is great news, congratulations!  My husband is SC at 30% for Ischemic Heart Disease but denied for any SC at all for his hypertension.  We've been fighting the HTN claim for 20 years, but the IHD was applied for and rated two years ago (with two stents) as presumptive to AO exposure.  Not sure if this is a chicken and egg argument as to which causes which, but this discussion is another example of how quickly the RO's love to term HTN as essential and not SC without thorough review of the records.

I'd like to add to Berta's comments about the Evidence List in SOC's and SSOC's.  The evidence must not only be listed, but also discussed with reasons and bases as to why it did not tip the benefit of the doubt scale at least 50/50 to the veteran's benefit.  You have to comb through that rating decision like a CPA looking for fraud in a financial statement to see if everything you submitted is acknowledged AND adequately addressed.  If not, it's flawed and I've called the RO on that plenty of times for either not listing it or discussing it, or listing it but not discussing it.

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I think it sure helped when you claimed the CAD as "secondary". This is good news!

Lotzaspotz is always Right on with her opinions. I have read and re read dozens of times, the narrative and evidence lists in every SOC  and SSOC  I ever had. It amazed me how they could overlook the most probative evidence, just to get the claim off their desk,and deny.

 

 

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