The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to ischemic heart disease due to exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam. The appellant was successful in establishing that her husband's death was caused by his service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: Ischemic heart disease is presumed to be related to the Veteran’s in-service exposure to herbicide agents and aided or lent assistance to the production of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome, Bilateral pulmonary thrombo-emboli, Infection, Ischemic heart disease (IHD), Deep venous thrombosis of the lower extremities, Multi-system organ failure, Hepatic tracheal bronchitis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19143277
Veterans Law Judge
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 19143277.
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 has decided to remand the case due to a lack of VA examination and medical nexus opinion, as well as the need for a TERA opinion. The Veteran's service connection claim will be reconsidered with these additional evaluations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for a heart disability, to include ischemic heart disease (IHD), due to an incomplete military personnel record and the need for further development of evidence related to exposure to Agent Orange.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of entitlement to service connection for ischemic heart disease (IHD) and remanded the claims for service connection for a heart condition and obstructive sleep apnea.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 10, 2010, for the award of service connection for ischemic heart disease (IHD) and remanded the issue of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for IHD.
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.