The Veteran's service aboard the USS Boston during his time in Vietnam is considered sufficient exposure to qualify for presumptive service connection for arteriosclerotic coronary heart disease, which was listed as the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the USS Boston operated within 12 nautical miles of the Vietnam shore in carrying out its mission for Operation Sea Dragon and along the DMZ, qualifying the Veteran for presumptive service connection based on exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- arteriosclerotic coronary heart disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19129599
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,812 · Granted: 30% (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 19129599.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's arteriosclerotic coronary heart disease is presumed to be due to exposure to herbicides in Vietnam, and thus service connection is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the case for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and a VA examiner's opinion on the relationship between the veteran's service-connected PTSD and his fatal heart disease.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his fatal colon cancer and arteriosclerotic heart disease to his military service or any inservice exposure.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
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.