The Veteran's heart disability, including bradycardia, left axis deviation, and premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), was not incurred in or aggravated by service. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence does not support a link between the current heart disability and service exposure to herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: The July 2019 VA examiner could not provide an etiology for the Veteran's bradycardia and left axis deviation, which were diagnosed decades after service. The best evidence in this case is against the claim of service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Bradycardia, Left axis deviation, Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2020
- Citation
- A20017844
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for congestive heart failure with implanted pacemaker, bradycardia, valvular heart disease, and atrial fibrillation, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension on a presumptive basis due to the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during active duty. The claim for bradycardia was remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board granted a motion to vacate its May 2021 decision and dismissed the claims for service connection due to the Veteran's death before the appeal was properly substituted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's left eye condition is related to service, as it found that the condition did not preexist service.
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