The Veteran's current heart disorder, including aortic aneurysm and atrial fibrillation, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The Board finds no evidence of a chronic heart disability during service and the length of time between separation from service and onset of symptoms weighs against granting the claim on both a direct and presumptive basis.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence linking the Veteran's current heart disorder to his in-service illness, and the passage of nearly 30 years since service without any complaints or treatment for such condition supports this conclusion.
- Claimed conditions
- aortic aneurysm, heart damage, pericarditis, residuals of penicillin reaction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 26, 2010
- Citation
- 1027894
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 1027894.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for aortic aneurysm secondary to his service-connected hypertension, squamous cell cancer of the skin, and benign prostatic hyperplasia. The issues of entitlement to compensable ratings for hypertension and colon cancer residuals are also remanded due to potential impact on the issue of a 10 percent evaluation based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an effective date of March 3, 2022, for the award of service connection for aortic aneurysm is granted. The rating assigned remains at 60 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty-to-assist error regarding the Veteran's exposure to asbestos and Agent Orange during service. The claims are now pending for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension is granted as presumptively related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents (Agent Orange). The aortic aneurysm, which is secondary to the service-connected hypertension, is also granted.
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