The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for service connection and a higher initial rating for ischemic heart disease. The claim was based on exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam, specifically Agent Orange. The effective date of August 31, 2010 is established as the earliest possible due to the addition of ischemic heart disease to the list of presumptively service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date was denied because there was no evidence of any unadjudicated formal or informal claim of service connection for cardiac disability prior to August 31, 2010. The Board acknowledged that the Veteran had received treatment for heart problems before this date but found that these records did not constitute a valid claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2018
- Citation
- 18139823
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 18139823.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating of 30 percent prior to July 18, 2014, and a higher than 60 percent rating thereafter for ischemic heart disease is being remanded due to incomplete evidence. The examiner needs to provide more detailed information about the severity of his service-connected condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and increased rating for ischemic heart disease due to a failure by the AOJ to request SSA records, which were not available.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarction, status post stent placement, as well as obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease as there was no evidence of herbicide exposure and the Veteran's condition is not related to his military service.
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