The veteran's heart disability manifested by atrial and supraventricular dysrhythmia with exercise clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service and was not aggravated thereby. The veteran is not shown to have a cervical spine condition, headaches, sinus condition, an innocently acquired psychiatric condition, low back condition, hiatal hernia with reflux or other stomach condition due to disease or injury that was incurred in or aggravated by active service.
The deciding factor: The pre-existing heart condition is not shown to have chronically worsened during his brief period of active service. The veteran is not shown to have manifested complaints or findings referable to the claimed conditions during his brief service or for many years thereafter.
- Claimed conditions
- heart condition, cervical spine condition, headaches, sinus condition, innocently acquired psychiatric condition, low back condition, hiatal hernia with reflux, stomach condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2008
- Citation
- 0815904
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 service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor. The claims for a cervical spine condition and lumbar spine condition were remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an increased initial disability evaluation of headaches due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, radiculopathies, a bladder disability, headaches, a left knee disability, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral conjunctivitis. The Board also granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability.
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