The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease and coronary artery disease was reopened due to new evidence. The Board found that the Veteran had in-service herbicide exposure near the base perimeter at U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand, which is one of the facilities where herbicides were sprayed. Therefore, the Veteran's current diagnosis of coronary artery disease (which is considered ischemic heart disease for VA purposes) was granted as service connected.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran had in-service herbicide exposure near the base perimeter at U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand, which is one of the facilities where herbicides were sprayed. The Veteran's current diagnosis of coronary artery disease (which is considered ischemic heart disease for VA purposes) was granted as service connected.
- Claimed conditions
- ischemic heart disease, coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- June 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19148656
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 19148656.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is granted as presumptively related to his service in the Gulf War, specifically aboard the USS Chanticleer and USS Mataco.
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