hypertension Coronary Artery Disease Secondary To Hypertension - No So Fast

[pwinger16301]

I filed a claim for CAD secondary to HTN. I had my C & P on June 5th and I received my copy via release of information yesterday. My question is I thought CAD secondary to sc HTn was a slam dunk. The write up from the C&P doctor states: While HTN is a risk factor for CAD, the veteran also has other risk factors including male age over 45 years old, family history of heart disease, prior cigareete smoking (quit in 1997) and low HDL in 2002. Also accoding to UP to DATE: obesity and weight gain promotes or aggravates all the atherogenic risk factors and physical activity worsens some to them. predisposing subjects of all ages to CHD events. Given the preponerance of the evidence it is less likely (not as least as likely as not) that the veterans HTN is the etiology for CAD.

I have had CAD symptons since I was 38 and while in the service. I have only gained 18 pounds since retiring from the Navy in 2002. I don't understand the thinking of this person.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Berta]

What is your SC rating for the HBP?

[kennjj]

I have had htn for over 15 years, in 2013 they finally found out what was causing it (Hyperaldosteromism) in 1998 I was diagnose with an Enlarge heart never new what it was or if I could get Disability for it until I found this site and started reading and found out that a Enlarge Heart is a serious thing so I decided to get a Imo to find out what state I was in he found enlarge heart, Sleep apnea and a cue because they diidn't recognize my enlarge heart years ago any way I just receive a completed claim back they denied everything but enlarge heart back to 2014 which I will fight. I think you may need a IMO to connect your CAD with service. When I had the IMO done for me I had not been diagnose with Hyperaldosteromism as of yet so it was not added to my IMO do you believe they denied it after all these years of trying to find out what was causing my high blood pressure any way I have a FTCA going on as well as finding a Lawyer to take my case Don't think I'll have a problem, I saying all of this to say dealing with VA there's never a slam dunk. Good luck!!

[pwinger16301]

My HTN is SC for 10%.

[Chuck75]

I filed a claim for CAD secondary to HTN. I had my C & P on June 5th and I received my copy via release of information yesterday. My question is I thought CAD secondary to sc HTn was a slam dunk. The write up from the C&P doctor states: While HTN is a risk factor for CAD, the veteran also has other risk factors including male age over 45 years old, family history of heart disease, prior cigareete smoking (quit in 1997) and low HDL in 2002. Also accoding to UP to DATE: obesity and weight gain promotes or aggravates all the atherogenic risk factors and physical activity worsens some to them. predisposing subjects of all ages to CHD events. Given the preponerance of the evidence it is less likely (not as least as likely as not) that the veterans HTN is the etiology for CAD.

I have had CAD symptons since I was 38 and while in the service. I have only gained 18 pounds since retiring from the Navy in 2002. I don't understand the thinking of this person.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

VA C&P thinking is often to blame a condition or disability on anything other than something that is service connectible.

But, if you can somehow get an opposing opinion, that is made by a more qualified specialist, you may be able to counter the unfavorable

C&P. It may be useful to acquire the C&P examiner's qualifications.

I also don't see (From what you mentioned) that the issue of aggravation due to service was even mentioned.

If there was a diagnosis of CAD in service, and no prior record, CAD could be service connectible on that basis only.

An IMO might be able to bring this out, and help eliminate the need for an while in service diagnosis.

[Berta]

Yes and they also call HBP "essential hypertension" meaning they dont know what caused it and the VA does not want to really seek a cause,because then they might have to SC it.

And if they (VA) X rays your heart and find no hypertrophy (enlargement of heart) I learned from my FTCA case that VA does not know how to read X rays properly sometimes.

I recently won a Section1151 HBP claim, filed 18 years after the veteran , my husband died.I filed it in 2012.

There is no deadline or time limits on Section 1151 claims.

I had only one piece of evidence for that claim. It was all I needed.

The posthumous so called C & P report was absolutely ludicrous. And of course they failed to consider my evidence, an opinion from a Top VA Cardiologist in VA Central, who supported every facet of my FTCA case,long ago, to include the malpracticed HBP..

I Cued the March or April 2015 decision right away,under violation of 38 CFR 4.6 and 3 other legal errors they made, and got 1151 award within about one more month.

That is, I battled with them for a month ,relentlessly, until they did the claim right.

The C & P was so bad that I do not think anyone with any medical background at all prepared it.And although the director told me she would send me a copy of it, she never did.

The Evidence list is one of the most important things you can find on any decision.

If they have not listed or considered probative evidence that you have proof of sending to them, they have violated one of our most important and basic rights in VA 101...38 CFR.4.6

and by doing this and getting away with it, if you dont challenge it, they can significantly add to the backlog and can put you on the Hamster wheel for YEARS!

I think the raters are being told Not to consider evidence in some cases,by management.

In my case the Buffalo VA called me and a VA rep read over the phone to me all of what my evidence for both my claims entailed and said with receipt of the 5103 they would make a decision immediately,.and I ask still waiting for them to read my evidence for my other claim.Got an award but my evidence means the retro.... and that is why they wont read it.

Yet VACO told me I already received an additional accrued amount of 100% plus SMC for 16 months for this same disability under 1151..they only paid me 6 months of accrued in 2012.

Someone else got that $$$, I sure didnt and await to see whether the IG will follow up on my complaint.

They did on my last IG complaint. VA had opened a bogus DIC claim for me.I emailed IG and the VA dropped that from the books right away..

Could they have awarded that claim? sure...but DICers only get one check and I have 3 separate DIC awards

Edited July 2, 2015 by Berta

[USN_HM_VSR]

Yes logically it would make sense that HTN is 2nd to CAD. A quick an easy way to figure out some secondaries w/o the need for a MO is to pull up the DBQ. The private DBQ's are pretty similar to the internal ones that VAMC uses for CnP. I've attached a Cardio and DM DBQ. If you do a quick search on the Heart document the only thing remotely close you'll find to HTN is hypertensive disease. Now on the DM DBQ we'll do a quick search and you'll find HTN on there. Under 3B you'll see a list of many secondaries that will pretty much be a slam dunk if you have DM with the following. Hope this helps a bit not just with CAD but with other secondaries as well.

HEART.pdf

DM.pdf