The Board has determined that the veteran's heart disorder is not related to his service-connected abdominal disability and therefore, he cannot establish a well-grounded claim for secondary service connection. The VA rating assigned for his postoperative residuals of a ruptured appendix with resection of the ileum remains at 60 percent.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a finding that the veteran's heart disorder is caused by or aggravated by his service-connected abdominal disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart Disorder, Abdominal Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- August 25, 2000
- Citation
- 0022479
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0022479.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. The claims for a heart disorder and prostate cancer were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial compensable rating for COPD and remanded the claims for service connection for a heart disorder and chronic kidney disease.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder, resolving any reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for bradycardia or other heart disorder as secondary to service-connected hypertension due to insufficient evidence in the record.
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