The VA determined that the veteran's rheumatic heart disease, post aortic valve replacement, did not warrant an evaluation in excess of 60 percent prior to April 6, 1999.
The deciding factor: Medical evidence prior to January 12, 1998 did not indicate chronic congestive failure or workload of 3 METs or less, which are required for a higher rating under the applicable criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatic heart disease, aortic valve replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- June 16, 2005
- Citation
- 0516442
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 0516442.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for non-rheumatic aortic valve stenosis and aortic valve replacement due to missing treatment records and the need for an opinion on the relationship between these conditions and in-service toxic exposure.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatic heart disease was granted. The claim for hypertensive vascular disease was remanded.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for aortic valve replacement since December 21, 2021 was granted. The claim for a compensable rating for the midline chest scar was denied. Other issues were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease and aortic valve replacement as secondary to coronary artery disease are remanded due to the need for a VA opinion regarding exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune.
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