The Board denied service connection for a heart condition, finding that the Veteran's current heart conditions are not etiologically related to his active service and specifically noting that there is no evidence of herbicide exposure during service.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence to support the presumption of herbicide exposure or direct service connection due to lack of credible statements regarding military service in Vietnam, absence of STRs showing heart problems, and significant lapse in time between service discharge and development of current heart conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- heart condition, atrial fibrillation, right-sided heart failure, pulmonary hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 1, 2018
- Citation
- 18122888
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 18122888.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- Granted
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
The Board denied service connection for treatment purposes only under Chapter 17 for various conditions, including cervical spine condition, right upper extremity nerve condition, left upper extremity nerve condition, headache condition, right wrist condition, left wrist condition, right elbow condition, left elbow condition, right shoulder condition, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), bilateral pes planus, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, and left knee disorder.
- 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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