The Board has determined that the Veteran's pre-existing atrial fibrillation increased in severity during his 2005 period of active duty, and thus service connection is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lay statements regarding his combat service and post-service symptoms are credible and consistent with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of his military service. The VA examiner's opinion was based on a lack of objective evidence of an increase in severity during active duty, but the Board found that the presumption of aggravation has not been rebutted.
- Claimed conditions
- Atrial Fibrillation
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 30, 2012
- Citation
- 1229918
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 1229918.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
Service connection for OSA is granted, and the Veteran's initial ratings for atrial fibrillation, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity neuralgia, and left upper extremity neuralgia are all granted at 10 percent.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for Congestive Heart Failure with Atrial Fibrillation with AICD and Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), finding that there was no evidence of direct service connection, and that the conditions were not caused or aggravated by service-connected OSA.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for SMC in excess of SMC(n) based on his service-connected conditions and additional disabilities, as well as his need for aid and attendance. The appeal was dismissed.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation as secondary to his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder.
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