The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected valvular heart disease, finding that his current symptoms are due to his atherosclerotic coronary vascular disease and not his valvular disease. The veteran is currently rated at 30 percent for this condition.
The deciding factor: The veteran's current symptoms of mild mitral regurgitation and mild to moderate aortic insufficiency do not warrant a higher rating as the service-connected rheumatic heart disease has been inactive for several decades and does not meet the criteria for recurrence or active rheumatic fever.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatic heart disease, atherosclerotic coronary vascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 28, 2001
- Citation
- 0121690
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0121690.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's diabetes was not service-connected, and his cause of death was not related to military service. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of exposure to herbicides or other toxic exposures during service.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatic heart disease was granted. The claim for hypertensive vascular disease was remanded.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for glaucoma, Parkinson's disease, and dementia due to potential TERA exposure. The rating for bilateral hearing loss is also being remanded.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date prior to November 2, 2017, and higher ratings for his heart disability and bilateral knee disabilities have been denied. The Board found that the earliest possible effective date is November 2, 2017, when VA received the claim after final disallowance. For the knee disabilities, the evidence did not show limitation of flexion to less than 30 degrees or more exacerbations per year.
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