The Veteran's heart condition, which includes a history of aortic valve replacement surgery, was denied service connection as there is no evidence to support that it was incurred in or caused by his military service. The Board found the Veteran did not have exposure to herbicide agents during his service and thus could not establish presumptive service connection.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's heart condition did not manifest within one year of separation from active service, and there is no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during his service, preventing him from establishing service connection via the presumption for Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- heart condition, status post-aortic valve (ARV) replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 11, 2018
- Citation
- 18117560
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 18117560.
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The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD was granted with an initial evaluation of 50 percent, effective September 24, 2007. The appeal regarding the heart condition and sleep disorder is denied. The Veteran's hearing loss prior to August 24, 2015, warrants a 20 percent rating.
- Denied
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, and headaches have been denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for heart condition, BPH, COPD, and hypertension are remanded due to the lack of evidence regarding his exposure to toxic substances during military service.
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