The Board found that the veteran's residuals of rheumatic fever with rheumatic heart disease and mitral valvulitis do not produce significant functional impairment, and thus denied an increased rating.
The deciding factor: The examiner noted that the veteran had no evidence of residual damage from the rheumatic illness and a normal echocardiogram. The first-degree AV block was stable, and there was no evidence of coronary artery disease.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, mitral valvulitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 20, 2002
- Citation
- 0202599
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 0202599.
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 veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatic heart disease was granted. The claim for hypertensive vascular disease was remanded.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection for several conditions, including low back disability and diabetes mellitus, type II, were granted. The claim for rheumatic fever was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the appeal for further development due to new evidence added since the April 2024 supplemental statement of the case and consideration of both the former and revised versions of the rating criteria.
- 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.
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