The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is granted as a result of presumed exposure to Agent Orange during service.,The Veteran's scar above the left eye is granted based on direct evidence linking it to an in-service injury.,The Veteran's respiratory disorder (shortness of breath) is denied due to lack of evidence linking it to service.
The deciding factor: Service connection for ischemic heart disease was established as a result of presumed exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam Era, and there is no evidence that the condition pre-existed service or was caused by any other factor.,The scar above the left eye was diagnosed shortly after an in-service injury, and there is no indication that it developed from another source. The Veteran's current statements are consistent with his contemporaneous statements made during treatment for the laceration.,While the Veteran has a respiratory disorder, there is insufficient evidence to establish service connection as his shortness of breath is more likely related to his heart condition rather than an in-service exposure to Agent Orange.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), Scar above the left eye, Respiratory disorder (shortness of breath)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19126949
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,435 · Granted: 22% (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 19126949.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a heart disability and hypertension due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors. The AOJ is required to obtain addendum medical opinions regarding toxic exposure risk activities (TERA).
- Granted
The Board has restored service connection for Ischemic Heart Disease, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Diabetes Mellitus type II, Chronic Kidney Disease, Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy of the lower left extremity sciatic nerve, Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy of the lower right extremity sciatic nerve, and Hypertension. The Board found that the original grant of service connection was not clearly erroneous due to the Veteran's exposure along the DMZ in Korea.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for ischemic heart disease prior to March 19, 2024 was denied. From March 19, 2024, the Veteran is rated at 60 percent for IHD and TDIU claims are not granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent prior to April 18, 2022 for Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) was denied.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent from April 18, 2022 to December 22, 2022 for IHD is pending and requires further development.
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