The Board found no current evidence of a mitral valve disorder and concluded that the veteran's condition was not caused by VA treatment, thus denying his claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing the veteran currently has a mitral valve disorder, and any such disorder is attributed to taking medications known as Phen-Fen in 1997, which were not prescribed by VA.
- Claimed conditions
- mitral valve disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2004
- Citation
- 0402845
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,515 · Granted: 20% (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 0402845.
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 ischemic heart disease, including coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure, is presumed to be related to his exposure to herbicide agents in service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board finds that his claim for TDIU is granted.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's diagnosed heart disorder, specifically mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonary regurgitation, cannot be satisfactorily disassociated from her in-service diagnoses of mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. The Board finds that the criteria for service connection have been met.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current disabilities of hypertension, mitral valve disorder, post-concussion syndrome (residuals of TBI), restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, left ankle disorder, left hip disorder, or right knee disorder. As such, service connection for these conditions is denied.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.