The Board found that the Veteran's heart disability and respiratory disability are not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking them to his active duty service, including exposure to herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the aneurysm is less likely than not caused by Agent Orange exposure, attributing it to other factors such as aortic wall degeneration from proteases. The Veteran's respiratory disability was diagnosed after his discharge and there is no direct evidence linking it to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart Disability, Respiratory Disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 19, 2017
- Citation
- 1728158
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 1728158.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's heart disability has been rated at 100% from September 12, 2022 to August 18, 2023. He is also eligible for special monthly compensation and Dependents' Educational Assistance during this period.
- Denied
The Veteran's heart disability is currently rated at 60 percent from February 24, 2023.,The effective date for the grant of TDIU was set to February 24, 2023.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, STD residuals, a left knee disability, and a respiratory disability have been dismissed. The Board found no error in the determination of these decisions.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity is denied as there was no prior formal or informal claim submitted before July 2, 2016.
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