The Board denied service connection for heart disability, esophageal disability, cirrhosis, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities as these conditions resulted from alcohol abuse during service. The Veteran's claim for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) was also denied.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran’s heart disability, esophageal disability, cirrhosis, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities were all caused by alcohol abuse during service. As these conditions are not considered service-connected, the claim for service connection is denied.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disability, atherosclerosis and heart attack, esophageal disability, varices and fluid retention, cirrhosis, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 26, 2018
- Citation
- 18113434
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 18113434.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations and service connection were dismissed due to his death.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by any service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for cause of death.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection effective August 10, 2022. The heart disability was granted secondary to the hypertension.,An initial rating of 30% for the heart disability was granted in May 2023 and increased to 60% since October 22, 2024.
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