The veteran's service-connected heart disability does not cause any functional limitations, and thus he is not shown to have an employment handicap. As a result, the need for vocational rehabilitation training under Chapter 31 of Title 38 has not been demonstrated.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected heart disability does not produce any measurable or observable functional limitations that would constitute an employment handicap.
- Claimed conditions
- organic heart disease atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, external hemorrhoids, residual scar of an injury to the jaw and throat
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- February 21, 2006
- Citation
- 0604878
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial evaluation of 30 percent for the period from September 20, 2022 to June 13, 2023 and a 60 percent evaluation from October 1, 2023, but denied an earlier effective date prior to September 20, 2022.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for the service-connected ventricular tachycardia and granted an earlier effective date of August 10, 2022, but no earlier, for the assignment of the 10 percent disability rating for the service-connected sinusitis.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including non-obstructive cardiomyopathy, as the evidence did not support a finding that his current heart conditions were related to his military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and increased the rating for major depressive disorder to 50 percent, while denying increased ratings for allergic rhinitis, bilateral hearing loss, chronic sinusitis, and external hemorrhoids.
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