The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cardiovascular disability, supraventricular tachycardia, and sinus bradycardia. The Board found that there was no clear and unmistakable evidence of pre-existing conditions in service or within one year of discharge, and concluded that the current heart disabilities are not related to active duty service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion stated that the Veteran’s current heart disability is not related to his active duty service, including Gulf War environmental exposures and metal exposure. The preponderance of evidence did not support a finding of a nexus between the Veteran’s active duty service and his current heart disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiovascular disability, supraventricular tachycardia, sinus bradycardia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19176699
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 the Veteran's appeal for a higher rating than 10 percent for service-connected supraventricular tachycardia, as the evidence did not support a finding that his symptoms more nearly approximated five or more treatment interventions per year.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for supraventricular tachycardia, finding that new and relevant evidence had been submitted but that the condition was not related to an in-service injury or disease.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of February 1, 2021, for the award of service connection for supraventricular tachycardia but denied a higher initial rating in excess of 10 percent.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome and an initial 20 percent rating for erectile dysfunction, while denying service connection for sinus bradycardia.
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