The Veteran's heart condition, diagnosed as aneurysm of the ascending thoracic aorta and aortic regurgitation, was not shown to be related to his military service or exposure to herbicides. The Board denied service connection for this disability.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing that the Veteran’s current heart disability manifested within one year after separation from service or is otherwise etiologically linked to his active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- aneurysm of the ascending thoracic aorta, aortic regurgitation, status post resection of aneurysm, valve-sparing aortic root replacement, aortic valve replacement with bio-prosthesis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 5, 2020
- Citation
- 20009739
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 20009739.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for GERD as secondary to the Veteran's PTSD and tinnitus, but denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability, right ear hearing loss, chronic sinus condition, bilateral hand condition, jaw condition, aortic regurgitation, discoid lupus, residuals of peptic ulcer, left shoulder condition, right shoulder condition, cervical spine disability, left upper extremity (LUE) radiculopathy secondary to cervical spine disability, and right upper extremity (RUE) radiculopathy secondary to cervical spine disability.
- Granted
The Veteran's heart disability, including atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure, is granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD with history of alcohol abuse disorder and DM.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives regarding the effect of medication on the Veteran's heart diagnoses. The Veteran's heart disability, including sinus bradycardia, mitral valve prolapse, and aortic regurgitation, is being remanded for further evaluation.
- Granted
The Veteran's heart disability rating was restored from 60% to 100%, effective July 1, 2022. The reduction was improper due to inadequate VA examination reports.
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