Service connection for a low back injury and arthritis is denied.,Service connection for ischemic heart disease due to herbicide exposure in the Korean DMZ is denied.,Service connection for a sinus condition and COPD (claimed as asthma) due to herbicide exposure in the Korean DMZ is remanded.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support current diagnoses of low back injury, arthritis, or ischemic heart disease.,The preponderance of the evidence does not support a diagnosis of ischemic heart disease.,Further medical opinions are needed to determine if the Veteran has current sinus and respiratory conditions related to herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- low back injury, arthritis, ischemic heart disease, sinus condition, COPD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19102894
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,242 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19102894.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Denied
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current respiratory disability and active duty service. The VA examiner concluded that the COPD was more likely due to tobacco use rather than asbestos exposure in service.
- Granted
The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is granted as presumptively related to his service in the Gulf War, specifically aboard the USS Chanticleer and USS Mataco.
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