The veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations were denied. The Board found no evidence of current heart disease or arthritis, and the preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began in service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing current diagnoses of heart disease or arthritis, nor any evidence linking these conditions to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart Disorder/Hypertension, Arthritis of both knees, Degenerative disc disease of cervical spine, Degenerative disc disease of lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2005
- Citation
- 0532839
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 0532839.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and left shoulder arthritis, finding no evidence that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, osteoarthritis of the right hip, and right renal atrophy with renal insufficiency as secondary to the Veteran's left knee disability. The Board also granted a 10 percent rating for instability of the left knee.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed all appeals related to service connection, increased ratings, and effective dates for various conditions due to procedural defects.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and missing service treatment records. The Veteran's low back condition is being reviewed again for proper consideration.
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