The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of any disability relating to his claim for blood clots in his right shoulder or upper extremity, and his heart disorder is not etiologically related to service. The Board also found no evidence supporting secondary service connection due to his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA medical examiner provided clear opinions that the Veteran's current heart condition (atrial fibrillation/flutter) was not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected back and sinus disorders, nor did any other competent evidence support such a finding.
- Claimed conditions
- Vascular Disorder (Deep Vein Thrombosis - Right Upper Extremity), Heart Disorder (Atrial Fibrillation/Flutter)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2018
- Citation
- 1800738
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 1800738.
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 Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The claims for urinary frequency disability and residuals of a cholecystectomy were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
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