The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disability, finding that he did not have a current diagnosis of ischemic heart disease or coronary heart disease and has not had one at any time during the pendency of the claim. The Board also found no evidence of herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange due to his service in Vietnam, but he did not meet the criteria for a current disability related to this exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19145767
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 19145767.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a heart disability as the evidence did not support that it began during active service or was related to an in-service injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an initial rating higher than 30 percent for the service-connected heart disability to correct an error by the AOJ in not informing the Veteran of his right to a pre-decisional hearing.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bronchial asthma, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and a heart disability associated with the appellant's service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War. The remaining claims were remanded to correct pre-decisional errors.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism, DVT, and a heart disability as secondary to residuals of acute renal failure. The claim for an initial compensable rating for acute hepatocellular necrosis was denied.
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