The Veteran's claim for service connection for atrial septal defect was denied in November 1980, and the effective date of this decision is not eligible for adjustment as it has already become final. The Veteran filed to reopen his claim on November 25, 2013, which resulted in a grant of service connection for atrial septal defect based on evidence from a VA examination conducted in March 2016.
The deciding factor: The effective date cannot be earlier than the date of the reopened claim due to the finality of the previous denial and the lack of new and material evidence submitted after the initial denial.
- Claimed conditions
- atrial septal defect
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19134489
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (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 19134489.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of January 25, 2019, for the award of service connection for atrial septal defect.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for both atrial septal defect and bilateral deuteranopia, finding that these conditions are congenital defects not aggravated by military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and duty-to-assist error, as well as the need for a TERA opinion. The Veteran's atrial septal defect is presumed to be related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Granted
The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for migraines has been denied.
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.