The Board found that the Veteran's current cardiovascular disability, including hypertension, was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not proximately caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: There is no competent clinical evidence establishing an etiological relationship between the Veteran's current cardiovascular disability and service. The July 2008 VA examiner could not determine if the Veteran's current coronary artery disease was related to inservice angina without mere speculation.
- Claimed conditions
- Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease, Coronary Artery Disease, Vascular Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2009
- Citation
- 0946707
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 0946707.
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
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a heart disability and hypertension due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors. The AOJ is required to obtain addendum medical opinions regarding toxic exposure risk activities (TERA).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to pre-decisional error and insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's heart condition, hypertension, and hearing loss/tinnitus.
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