The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 60 percent for ischemic heart disease and an earlier effective date was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher rating, as his ejection fraction and workload were always within the range for a 60 percent rating. For the effective date claim, the Veteran's service connection was based on presumptive exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam, but he filed his claim more than one year after the regulation went into effect.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating as his ejection fraction and workload were always within the range for a 60 percent rating. The effective date claim was denied because the Veteran's claim was filed more than one year after the regulation establishing presumptive service connection went into effect.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- October 16, 2018
- Citation
- 18142306
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 18142306.
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 Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings of ischemic heart disease and diabetes, and these claims are dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, ischemic heart disease, and hypertension from August 10, 2022, under the PACT Act. The claim for a thyroid disability was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to request a medical opinion on whether service-connected hypertension or ischemic heart disease was a principal or contributory cause of the Veteran's death.
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