The claim for service connection for a heart disorder, to include as due to an undiagnosed illness (Gulf War syndrome), was not reopened because new and material evidence was not received.
The deciding factor: Additional treatment records were considered but they did not provide a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. The Veteran's heart condition is diagnosed as ischemia, which is a diagnosed condition, thus it cannot be attributed to an undiagnosed illness under the presumptive provisions for Persian Gulf veterans.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 10, 2009
- Citation
- 0908875
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0908875.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to errors in obtaining relevant medical records and authorization for private treatment providers. The issues include heart disorder, OSA, sinusitis, lumbar spine disorder, and right knee disorder all related to Agent Orange exposure.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disorder, to include ischemic heart disease (IHD), finding that there was not sufficient evidence to establish a link between his current condition and his military service. The Board noted that the Veteran did not have active military service from January 9, 1962, to July 31, 1980, and that he was not exposed to herbicide agents during his military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left hip disorder, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, heart disorder, insomnia, sexual arousal disorder, gynecological disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, and HTN. The evidence did not support a current diagnosis of these conditions or their relationship to military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disorder and a heart disorder due to insufficient examination opinions and failure to consider potential exposure to diesel fumes during service.
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