The Board granted service connection for rheumatic heart disease based on aggravation, as the evidence clearly and unmistakably showed that the veteran's preexisting condition was aggravated by his active service.
The deciding factor: The clear and unmistakable evidence established that the veteran's heart disorder preexisted service but was aggravated during active duty, thus rebutting the presumption of no aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2008
- Citation
- 0812319
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatic heart disease was granted. The claim for hypertensive vascular disease was remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for total disability due to individual unemployability for the period prior to March 7, 2011 based on his service-connected rheumatic heart disease and left knee degenerative changes.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected rheumatic heart disease renders him unemployable and he is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disorder, finding that there was no clear and unmistakable evidence of aggravation during service and that any non-rheumatic heart disease conditions did not manifest within one year of separation from service.
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