The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease, finding that the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam is presumed and his current diagnosis of ischemic heart disease (specifically coronary artery disease) is at least in equipoise with the evidence.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran had a presumptive exposure to herbicide agents due to service in the Republic of Vietnam, and that he has been diagnosed with ischemic heart disease. The Board resolved any doubt in favor of the Veteran's claim based on the relative equipoise between his diagnoses and the presumption.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19193073
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 19193073.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings of ischemic heart disease and diabetes, and these claims are dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, ischemic heart disease, and hypertension from August 10, 2022, under the PACT Act. The claim for a thyroid disability was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to request a medical opinion on whether service-connected hypertension or ischemic heart disease was a principal or contributory cause of the Veteran's death.
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