The Board found that the veteran did not file a timely notice of disagreement regarding the February 1996 rating decision, which resulted in a final determination. The earlier effective date claim for a 100% rating for rheumatic heart disease with pulmonary hypertension was also denied.
The deciding factor: The veteran's notice of disagreement was received more than one year after the RO's notification of its February 1996 rating decision, which is beyond the statutory time limit to file an NOD.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatic heart disease, pulmonary hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2001
- Citation
- 0125574
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 0125574.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for emphysema and pulmonary hypertension, finding that the Veteran's emphysema was caused by active service, including participation in a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA), and that his pulmonary hypertension is secondary to his emphysema.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for pulmonary hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a back condition secondary to tinnitus and small umbilical hernia, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to active service or caused by service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to obtain a VA opinion to determine which disability, obstructive sleep apnea or restrictive airway disease, was predominant from November 8, 2012 to May 22, 2022.
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