The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sick sinus syndrome (SSS), finding no evidence of a nexus between SSS and his military service or any service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions found no in-service evidence of SSS complaints, symptoms, treatment, or diagnosis; no evidence of a relationship between SSS and herbicide agent exposure; and no evidence of the Veteran's SSS having been caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- sick sinus syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 30, 2018
- Citation
- 18154830
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 18154830.
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.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for the cause of death and remanded the issue of a compensable disability rating for bilateral defective hearing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a more thorough examination, including METs testing, and consideration of his testimony at the Board hearing.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Barrett's esophagus, sick sinus syndrome, and prostate cancer due to exposure at Camp Lejeune. The Veteran also receives special monthly compensation based on the loss of use of a creative organ.
- Granted
The veteran's appeal for service connection of sick sinus syndrome was granted because it is related to their service-connected hypertension.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.