The Board found that the Veteran's heart disability, including aortic insufficiency, was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty service and denied his claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of a heart disability during service or within one year post-service. The current diagnosis of severe aortic valve regurgitation with no stenosis is more likely due to the Veteran's post-service medical history, including surgery in 1999 and follow-up care from that time.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disability, aortic insufficiency, left foot disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 25, 2009
- Citation
- 0931848
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0931848.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection effective August 10, 2022. The heart disability was granted secondary to the hypertension.,An initial rating of 30% for the heart disability was granted in May 2023 and increased to 60% since October 22, 2024.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him so helpless as to require the regular aid and attendance of another person, but his service-connected persistent depressive disorder alone rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted SMC at the housebound rate.
- Granted
The Veteran's left foot disability and anxiety disorder render him in need of regular aid and attendance due to his physical limitations and cognitive impairments, which require assistance from another person.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple disabilities, including neck, back, left foot, left knee, right knee, right foot, and right shoulder disabilities. The Board found insufficient evidence to support presumptive or secondary service connection.
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