The Board has determined that the Veteran's valvular heart disease with subsequent aortic valve replacement and multi-level lumbar degenerative spine disease, upper thoracic left paravertebral myofascial strain, lumbosacral strain, and degenerative arthritis of the thoracic and lumbosacral spine are incurred in active service. The Board found that all reasonable doubt should be resolved in favor of the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions provided a balanced analysis regarding the etiology of the Veteran's heart and back disabilities, with no clear indication of pre-service origin or aggravation by service.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart Disability (Aortic Valve Disease), Back (Spine) Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 29, 2016
- Citation
- 1612632
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1612632.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
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- Granted
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