The Veteran's application to reopen a claim of service connection for cardiac disability was granted. The Board found new and material evidence that indicated the Veteran’s heart bypass surgery may be related to his exposure to ship exhaust in service.,Service connection for kidney cancer was also granted, with the Board finding the evidence at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's kidney cancer is related to his exposure to ship exhaust during service.
The deciding factor: The new evidence presented indicated that the Veteran’s heart bypass surgery may be related to his exposure to ship exhaust in service.,There was conflicting medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's kidney cancer and his exposure to ship exhaust. The VA physician opined it was less likely than not caused by service, while the VA physician assistant found it less likely than not related.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiac disability, kidney cancer
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19127330
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for cause of death to obtain a new medical opinion due to errors in previous examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions and a TDIU, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for kidney cancer, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for kidney cancer was dismissed due to the untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement.
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