The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for ischemic heart disease has been denied.,Service connection for atrial fibrillation secondary to service-connected ischemic heart disease has been granted.,The Veteran's claims for non-degenerative arthritis and fibromyalgia, both related to herbicide exposure, have been remanded for further review.,Further medical opinions are needed regarding the etiology of the Veteran's non-degenerative arthritis and fibromyalgia.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s ischemic heart disease is currently rated as 60 percent disabling due to its impact on his ability to work, but a higher rating is not warranted.,Service connection for atrial fibrillation has been granted because the condition is secondary to service-connected ischemic heart disease.,Further medical opinions are needed regarding the etiology of non-degenerative arthritis and fibromyalgia as they may be related to herbicide exposure, but this relationship has not yet been established with certainty.,The Veteran's claims for non-degenerative arthritis and fibromyalgia have been remanded because there is insufficient evidence to determine their relation to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic Heart Disease, Atrial Fibrillation, Non-degenerative Arthritis, Fibromyalgia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19126111
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (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 19126111.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
Service connection for OSA is granted, and the Veteran's initial ratings for atrial fibrillation, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity neuralgia, and left upper extremity neuralgia are all granted at 10 percent.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for Congestive Heart Failure with Atrial Fibrillation with AICD and Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), finding that there was no evidence of direct service connection, and that the conditions were not caused or aggravated by service-connected OSA.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease was granted a 30% disability rating effective August 31, 2010. The condition manifested as cardiac hypertrophy and a workload of greater than 5.0 but less than 7.0 METs without congestive heart failure or LVEF of 50 percent or less.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for SMC in excess of SMC(n) based on his service-connected conditions and additional disabilities, as well as his need for aid and attendance. The appeal was dismissed.
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.