The Board granted service connection and assigned a 60 percent rating for coronary artery disease, effective from April 1996. The ratings for intervertebral disc syndrome at L4-L5 level were also granted, with the higher rating of 40 percent effective from May 12, 1998.
The deciding factor: The veteran's heart disease was found to have precluded ordinary manual labor since retirement from service and had a sustained METs level of 4.32, meeting criteria for a 60 percent evaluation under the revised rating schedule.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, coronary artery disease (previously classified as multiple heart diseases with history of hypertension), intervertebral disc syndrome (previously classified as right L4-L5 herniated nucleus pulposus), anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- December 29, 2000
- Citation
- 0034105
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 0034105.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, as the evidence did not support higher ratings or service connection.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding it at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.
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