The VA denied the veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected pericarditis, currently rated at 30 percent. The Board found that the veteran's symptoms were due to his nonservice-connected coronary artery disease and did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under applicable disability evaluation criteria.
The deciding factor: The veteran's pericarditis was found to be secondary to his service-connected coronary artery disease, which precluded consideration of a higher rating based on the severity of the pericarditis alone.
- Claimed conditions
- Pericarditis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- February 6, 2003
- Citation
- 0302318
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,419 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0302318.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased rating, service connection, and TDIU have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of all claims prior to the promulgation of a decision.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a cardiovascular disorder, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether symptomatology and conditions suffered during service resulted in the Veteran's current condition.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea and denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to June 5, 2019. The Veteran's pericarditis is currently service-connected.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD, obstructive sleep apnea, residuals of a pulmonary embolism, and pericarditis due to additional development being needed. The claims are inextricably intertwined with the claim for service connection for COPD.
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