The Board granted service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his heart disease and hyperlipidemia were causally related to his exposure to herbicide agents during military service in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The VA cardiologist opined that the veteran's presumed Dioxin exposure during service played a substantial part in the development of his atherosclerotic heart disease that claimed his life, and there was evidence supporting a causal connection between herbicide exposure and Type II diabetes mellitus, which is considered a 'coronary equivalent.'
- Claimed conditions
- Arteriosclerotic heart disease, Hyperlipidemia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2008
- Citation
- 0816260
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 Board denied a rating higher than 60 percent for the Veteran's heart disabilities and granted service connection for major vascular neurocognitive disorder, but denied special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(l).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for deep vein thrombosis, hyperlipidemia, vitamin D deficiency, pre-diabetes, and obstructive sleep apnea. The Veteran's hypertension was not found to be compensable, and the ratings for his depressive disorder and tinnitus were also denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 100 percent disability rating for arteriosclerotic heart disease from April 19, 2021 to September 5, 2024 and denied a higher rating thereafter.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for cause of death to ensure an adequate medical opinion is obtained, as the previous opinions were found insufficient.
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