The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of April 11, 2001 for the grant of service connection for coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease with stents. The appeal is pending regarding a higher initial rating for this condition.
The deciding factor: The effective date was determined to be March 5, 2002 based on evidence received by VA in October 2002 showing the Veteran's diagnosis of unstable angina on April 11, 2001. The Board found that the earlier claim for malaria and hearing loss/tinnitus dated March 5, 2002 was still pending when the evidence of a diagnosed heart condition was received in October 2002.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2015
- Citation
- 1548251
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 1548251.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is granted as presumptively related to his service in the Gulf War, specifically aboard the USS Chanticleer and USS Mataco.
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