The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is presumed to have been incurred in wartime service due to herbicide agent exposure. The cause of the Veteran’s death, cardiomyopathy, was found to be related to his now service-connected ischemic heart disease. No benefit remains for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 as the claim is moot. Service connection for a kidney disorder and liver disorder are denied due to lack of in-service diagnosis or evidence of continuity of symptomatology.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's ischemic heart disease was found to be presumptively service-connected due to herbicide agent exposure during his Vietnam-era service at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base. The cause of death, cardiomyopathy, is considered a result of the now-service connected ischemic heart disease.
- Claimed conditions
- ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, acute renal failure syndrome, hepatitis C, liver disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19145579
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.
- Partly granted
The Board grants service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus began during his period of active duty service. The claims for ischemic heart disease, aortic valve replacement, status post aortic stenosis, and peripheral vascular disease with popliteal aneurysm are remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C, jaundice, hypogeusia, and hyposmia as there was no evidence of a current disability during the pendency of the claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain a new medical opinion regarding the Veteran's ischemic heart disease, as the previous opinions were found inadequate.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C and remanded the claim for a heart disability due to insufficient evidence.
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