The VA determined that the appellant's cardiovascular disease is not service-connected, as there was no evidence of such condition during his military service and it did not become manifest within one year after his retirement. The Board found that the appellant's cardiovascular disease may be presumed to have been incurred due to exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The VA could not establish a link between the appellant's current cardiovascular disease and his military service, including any potential Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiovascular disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2002
- Citation
- 0203073
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 0203073.
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: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to a procedural defect in compliance with claims-processing rules. The VA Form 10182 submitted by the Veteran attempted a concurrent election, which is prohibited.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty-to-assist error regarding the Veteran's exposure to asbestos and Agent Orange during service. The claims are now pending for further development.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 12, 2018, for the grant of service connection for transient global amnesia (also claimed as memory loss) was denied. The Board also denied service connection for cardiovascular disease.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's pending service connection claims for atrial fibrillation, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and essential tremors were not resolved before his death. The Board denied the appeal as the Appellant did not file a timely request to substitute in her husband's name.
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