The veteran's organic heart disease is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board denied his claims for increased rating and total disability based on individual unemployability due to lack of evidence from a recent VA examination.
The deciding factor: The veteran failed to report for a scheduled VA examination which was necessary to determine the severity of his service-connected organic heart disease.
- Claimed conditions
- organic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2003
- Citation
- 0304823
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0304823.
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: Granted
The Veteran's heart condition was rated at 100% but reduced to 60%. The reduction was overturned, and the original rating of 100% is restored. SMC based on housebound criteria is also restored.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and the need for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's heart disability, including heart palpitations. The claims are pending further development.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for organic heart disease, hypertension, and paralysis with drooping of the left side of face (Bell's Palsy) are being remanded due to new evidence submitted since previous denials. The Board is seeking clarification on the nature and etiology of the Veteran’s heart disabilities and their relationship to his service-connected valvular heart disease.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new one is needed to determine if the Veteran's diagnosed coronary artery disease had its onset in service.
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