The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected heart disability, finding that a rating in excess of 30 percent is not warranted prior to April 1, 2009, and granted a 60 percent rating effective from April 1, 2009.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show more than one episode of acute congestive heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of less than 30 percent during the appeal period.
- Claimed conditions
- neck disability, low back disability, headaches, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, left ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- March 8, 2016
- Citation
- 1609372
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 1609372.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has expanded the scope of the claim to include any mental health disorder raised by the record and has remanded for additional development regarding service connection for left leg, ankle, and psychiatric disabilities.
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