The veteran's claim for service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease was denied as the condition was not present during active duty or within one year after service, and there is no evidence linking it to his military service.
The deciding factor: The veteran did not have arteriosclerotic heart disease during service, and there is no evidence showing that it developed due to service. The claimant's allegation of exposure to fuel and rocket propellants was found to be conjectural.
- Claimed conditions
- arteriosclerotic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2003
- Citation
- 0301377
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 0301377.
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 Board granted service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease, finding that the evidence is within approximate balance that it was caused by toxic exposure during service in Southwest Asia.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a separate initial 20 percent rating for right knee meniscal tear based on limitation of knee flexion, and an initial 60 percent rating for arteriosclerotic heart disease. It also granted TDIU due to service-connected residuals of prostate cancer.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and higher ratings for his service-connected conditions, as well as a TDIU.
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