The Board found that new evidence submitted since the August 1998 rating action, while new and relevant to reopening the claim for service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease, is not sufficient to establish a direct link between the veteran's current condition and his military service. The veteran now claims that his chest pain during active duty was the first manifestation of his heart disease or hypertension, but there is no medical evidence supporting this claim.
The deciding factor: The new evidence does not provide a more significant picture of the origin of arteriosclerotic heart disease, and the veteran's lay opinions are insufficient to establish causation without corroboration from competent medical sources.
- Claimed conditions
- Arteriosclerotic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2002
- Citation
- 0204301
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 0204301.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease is rated at 100% effective October 25, 2024. His prostate cancer residuals are rated at 60% effective October 25, 2024.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance travel expenses incurred on June 17, 2025 due to an emergency heart attack. The ambulance service was provided by a volunteer organization and later intercepted by a higher-tier EMT company.
- Granted
The Board has granted a TDIU effective June 10, 2020 and an SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ effective June 10, 2021. The Veteran's service-connected conditions have prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since June 10, 2020.
- Granted
The Veteran's bladder cancer residuals, hypothyroidism, and arteriosclerotic heart disease have been granted service connection. The Veteran is rated at a 40% for his bladder cancer residuals.
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