The Board finds that the veteran's currently diagnosed mitral stenotic valvular heart disease was not incurred in or aggravated during his active duty service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a finding of rheumatic fever or heart disease during service, and the first diagnosis of cardiovascular disease occurred approximately 14 months after discharge. There is no convincing evidence linking the current condition to service.
- Claimed conditions
- mitral stenotic valvular heart disease, heart disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0902546
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.
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- Remanded (sent back)
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