The Veteran's heart disorder, including atrial fibrillation and coronary artery disease, is not shown to have been caused by the VA treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. The most likely causes of his heart disorders are his morbid obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, tobacco usage, hyperlipidemia, inactivity, and high blood pressure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's heart conditions were more likely due to other risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and tobacco use rather than the VA treatment for his obstructive sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disorder, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2012
- Citation
- 1236822
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 1236822.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and stroke as there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during service and the medical opinions were against a nexus to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease with myocardial infarction is granted on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty in Korea.
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