The Board found that the appellant's heart murmur and mitral valve regurgitation were present prior to service, did not increase in severity during service, and are unrelated to service. Therefore, service connection for cardiovascular disease was denied.
The deciding factor: The preexisting condition (heart murmur) was noted at entrance into service and persisted throughout the appellant's period of active duty training, with no evidence of aggravation or worsening due to service.
- Claimed conditions
- mitral valve regurgitation, cardiovascular disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2014
- Citation
- 1405951
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1405951.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to a procedural defect in compliance with claims-processing rules. The VA Form 10182 submitted by the Veteran attempted a concurrent election, which is prohibited.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 12, 2018, for the grant of service connection for transient global amnesia (also claimed as memory loss) was denied. The Board also denied service connection for cardiovascular disease.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, mitral valve regurgitation, and prostate cancer as there is no probative evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active service or exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
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