The Board finds that the Veteran's lesion in the distal LAD coronary artery and ventricular fibrillation are not related to his active military service, including as a result of motor vehicle accidents.,There is no evidence showing the onset or development of these conditions during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the Veteran's heart condition was less likely than not incurred in or caused by the claimed in-service injury, event, or illness. The original rationale provided supports this conclusion based on the lack of medical literature supporting a diagnosis following such injuries from twenty to twenty-three years prior.
- Claimed conditions
- Lesion in distal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery, Ventricular fibrillation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 26, 2016
- Citation
- 1637685
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 1637685.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be due to his service-connected tracheostomy scar, which complicated intubation and caused aspiration pneumonia with hypercapnic and hypoxic respiratory failure. The Board granted DIC benefits based on this determination.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was due to ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, ischemic cardiomyopathy, type II diabetes mellitus, and end-stage renal disease. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to military service or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was attributed to heart disease, COPD, and diabetes. The appeal is remanded due to insufficient evidence of herbicide exposure in service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of substantial compliance with previous remand instructions. The Veteran's cause of death is being reviewed for service connection and etiology.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.