The Board found that the April 2002 rating decision denying service connection for a heart murmur was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous, as the correct facts were before the RO at the time of the decision and the statutory or regulatory provisions extant at the time were correctly applied.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the April 2002 rating decision because the correct facts were known to the RO, and the applicable law and regulations were correctly applied. The Veteran's heart murmur was considered a congenital defect not subject to service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart murmur
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 12, 2016
- Citation
- 1640381
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 1640381.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of a cardiac disability due to insufficient evidence and need for clarification on whether the heart murmur is a congenital defect or disease, as well as potential exposure during active service.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a heart murmur and a left foot heel spur, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a heart condition, to include a heart murmur and hypertension, due to incomplete evidence regarding the nature of the Veteran's heart murmur and potential service connection.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for an addendum VA medical opinion to address whether the Veteran's service-connected conditions have caused or aggravated a heart murmur.
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