The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was a symptom of ischemic heart disease due to Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran’s paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was linked to ischemic heart disease due to his conceded herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic cancer of adrenal gland (pheochromocytoma), paraplegia, pneumonia and bilateral pleural effusion with fevers, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19105146
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (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 19105146.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed as he withdrew his appeal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's request for an extension of time to file a Board Appeal request was denied, and the attempted appeal is dismissed because the December 22, 2025, request was not timely filed.
- Granted
Service connection for diabetes mellitus Type II is granted. The Board also found that service connection should be granted for hypertension and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation as secondary to the Veteran's diabetes mellitus.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for neuropathy, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and gastrointestinal condition including colon polyps and diverticulitis as there is no persuasive evidence of a current disability or its onset during active duty.
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.