The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart condition is not caused or aggravated by his service-connected malaria, and therefore denied service connection for a heart condition.
The deciding factor: The VA cardiologist found it less likely than not that the Veteran’s coronary artery disease or valve dysfunction are worsened by anemia due to malaria. The Board concluded that the Veteran's other comorbid conditions, including age, gender, tobacco exposure, hypertensive heart disease, dyslipidemia, body habitus, and lifestyle, predisposed him to development and worsening of his cardiovascular pathologies.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19195084
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,199 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
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 19195084.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for service connection of a heart condition is dismissed as the Board has already granted it. The appeal for increased rating of PTSD is also dismissed due to the grant of service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, basal cell carcinoma, bilateral pseudophakia, dry eye syndrome and blepharitis (bilateral eye conditions), diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and heart condition due to inadequate opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's exposure to asbestos is conceded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, basal cell carcinoma, bilateral pseudophakia, dry eye syndrome and blepharitis (bilateral eye conditions), diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and heart condition due to inadequate opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's exposure to asbestos is conceded.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of a heart condition as secondary to his service-connected unspecified depressive disorder with anxiety, alcohol use disorder, and stimulant use disorder. The decision is based on evidence showing that the Veteran's heart condition is related to his long-term alcohol use disorder.
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