The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for heart disease and Buerger's disease with partial amputation of the left foot due to nicotine dependence are not well grounded, as there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to in-service smoking.
The deciding factor: The veteran's account of a physician linking his current disabilities to in-service smoking was found to be too attenuated and inherently unreliable to constitute 'medical' evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart disease, Buerger's disease with partial amputation of the left foot
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 28, 2000
- Citation
- 0025998
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 0025998.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining additional medical opinions to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD and right hand scar, but denied service connection for other claimed conditions including diabetes type II, erectile dysfunction, headaches, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, left shoulder injury, left hand injury, lower back injury, right shoulder injury, upper back injury, and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss disability.
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