I have bad high blood pressure, but was denied by va because in 1973 my blood pressure was normal why?

[gary mathis]

I could not get high blood pressure claim approved because the army did not record my pressure high in 1976. Why is this.

[GBArmy]

Hi Gary, welcome to Hadit. For a disability, you need 3 things. 1) a current diagnosis- do you have a doctor's diagnosis for high b/p? Next you need an event or occurence in the service. For example, do you have results from your entrance and exit exams showing a reduction is hearing function? The third thing you need for a successful claim is a nexus or doctor's statement that show in his opinion that they decline is due to noise exposure in the service. You may not need a nexus is your MOS is rated as moderate or severe likely hood that what you did in the service is assumed by the VA to be a connection. Look up your MOS exposure here   https://usafals-afe.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Duty-MOS-Noise-Exposure-Listing.pdf

 

[GBArmy]

I probably should add that many veterans that have a hearing disability also have tinnitus, which is described as buzzing, humming, clicking etc. It NOW is a separate disability for a minimum rating of 10%. But it is one of 3 disabilities that the VA has proposed to revise and will no longer be rated as a stand alone but be a SYMPTOM of a hearing disability. Point here is if you have tinnitus and haven't submitted a claim for it it may be smart to claim it before they change the criteria. Anyone who has tinnitus prior to the change should be grandfathered in for the disability and not have to worry. My own personal opinion, however, if you have both, and you decide to go for an increase for your hearing rating, be sure you know what you are doing. The VA could now say that the tinnitus is rolled into the new description and eliminate that as separate disability IMHO.

[broncovet]

Why is this?  Because VA likes to save money, Gary.  Most initial claims are denied, and Veterans have to fight for benefits.  

Did you have symptoms (of high blood pressure) in the service?  Did you have a buddy who could write a letter describing your symptoms to document an in service event?  

Did your exit (from service) physical show high blood pressure?  

Can you get a copy of your service records to make sure the record is not there?  VA LOSES service records "so often" there is a regulation in place to show what needs to happen when they find the records:

38 cfr 3.156 C.  

Quote

(c) Service department records.

(1) Notwithstanding any other section in this part, at any time after VA issues a decision on a claim, if VA receives or associates with the claims file relevant official service department records that existed and had not been associated with the claims file when VA first decided the claim, VA will reconsider the claim, notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this section. Such records include, but are not limited to:

(i) Service records that are related to a claimed in-service event, injury, or disease, regardless of whether such records mention the veteran by name, as long as the other requirements of paragraph (c) of this section are met;

(ii) Additional service records forwarded by the Department of Defense or the service department to VA any time after VA's original request for service records; and

(iii) Declassified records that could not have been obtained because the records were classified when VA decided the claim.

 

[john999]

I have high blood and I am hoping the VA will make it presumptive for AO exposure before I die.  I am not counting on it.  I was in pretty good physical shape when I left the army in 1971, but soon after I started to have high glucose readings and then actual diabetes.  It took about 30 years to get DMII service connected.

[Marine Corp 69/70]

You can uses a secondary S/C like Sleep Apnea or PTSD to connect your hypertension. Do you have any S/C disability’s that can be related to hypertension 

[jbasser]

Hypertension has a one year presumptive period. If you were diagnosed within 1 year and it was compensable to at least 10 percent which means the Systolic must be predominantly 160 or Diastolic must be predominantly 100.

Essential Hypertension is the key word.