The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that there was no evidence linking his hypertensive heart disease to his military service or presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion found very little to disprove the essential nature of the Veteran’s hypertension and concluded that it is less likely than not related to his military service, including any presumed exposure to herbicide agents. The opinion also noted a lack of evidence for ischemic heart disease.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertensive heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19195891
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 19195891.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and other conditions, rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to July 21, 2025.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertensive heart disease as secondary to his service-connected hypertension.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's attorney has withdrawn the appeal for service connection for hypertensive heart disease and diabetes mellitus type II.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertensive heart disease, chest condition, left arm condition, right arm condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, and acquired psychiatric disorder are all granted.
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