The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current heart disability and therefore cannot establish service connection for his claimed condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's reported heart murmur from 1974 is considered benign and not indicative of a current disability. The VA examination reports do not indicate any current heart or valvular disease, and the ECHO was scheduled but the Veteran failed to report.
- Claimed conditions
- heart murmur, cardiomegaly
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 3, 2014
- Citation
- 1414689
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 1414689.
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 for an initial rating higher than 30 percent for cardiomegaly with cardiac hypertrophy and valvular heart disease has been dismissed due to the appellant withdrawing the appeal.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for heart murmur and allergic rhinitis, finding the current conditions are related to service. Service connection was denied for headaches and residuals of traumatic brain injury due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of service connection for a heart condition due to severe electrocution, as there is insufficient evidence in the record to determine if his symptoms are related to his active service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current heart disability, including atrial fibrillation and a heart murmur, is related to his service. The Veteran must be provided with an examination to determine if any heart condition had its onset during service or is otherwise linked to his military service.
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