The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease, hypertension secondary to PTSD, aortic regurgitation, diastolic dysfunction of the left ventricle, mild concentric left ventricular hypertrophy, mild enlargement of the right and left atria, thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm dissection (secondary to hypertension), and paraplegia associated with spinal cord ischemia (secondary to thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm dissection).
The deciding factor: The medical evidence shows that the Veteran's diagnoses of heart disabilities, hypertension, and aortic aneurysm are etiologically linked to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents or service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic Heart Disease, Hypertension, Aortic Regurgitation, Diastolic Dysfunction of the Left Ventricle, Mild Concentric Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, Mild Enlargement of the Right and Left Atria, Thoraco-abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Dissection, Paraplegia associated with spinal cord ischemia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 16, 2017
- Citation
- 1704758
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 1704758.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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