The Board found that the Veteran's cardiomyopathy was not incurred during service and is not secondary to his service-connected obstructive sleep apnea. The most likely cause of the Veteran's heart disorder was in-service alcohol abuse.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded it was less than a 50% probability that the Veteran's cardiomyopathy was incurred during active duty, and could not otherwise say whether it was caused by service without resorting to mere speculation. The March 2017 VHA report supported this conclusion, stating alcohol abuse is the most likely cause of the Veteran's heart failure.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart Disorder, Cardiomyopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 24, 2018
- Citation
- 1824733
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 1824733.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart condition was granted with an effective date of August 1, 2019. The decision is based on evidence showing exposure to diesel and gas fuel during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the service connection claims for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Heart Disorder due to a duty to assist error in obtaining opinions regarding whether these conditions are aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart conditions may be related to his service-connected sleep apnea and/or generalized anxiety disorder, but further examination is needed to determine causation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a heart disorder and OSA, as secondary to a heart disorder due to incomplete records and failure to consider all relevant in-service exposures. The Veteran's exposure to PFAS at Robins AFB is acknowledged, but further development is needed to address his COPD and smoking history.
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