The Veteran is granted an initial 60 percent rating for coronary artery disease (CAD) with valvular heart disease, effective from the date of this decision.,Service connection for hypertension secondary to service-connected CAD is granted.,Service connection for hypertensive heart disease (HHD) secondary to service-connected hypertension is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms more closely approximate a workload greater than 3 METs but not greater than 5 METs resulting in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope for CAD. The evidence does not suggest that the Veteran's CAD warrants a rating higher than 60 percent.,The VA examiner opined that hypertension is less likely caused by service-connected CAD, but the private physician provided an opinion stating it is at least as likely as not proximately due to service-connected CAD. Given these opinions, the evidence is evenly balanced on whether hypertension is secondary to CAD.,HHD was evaluated separately from CAD because of a new regulation adding a note for hypertension in 2006.
- Claimed conditions
- Coronary artery disease (CAD), Hypertension, Hypertensive heart disease (HHD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- December 29, 2020
- Citation
- A20019394
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 A20019394.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for SMC based on aid and attendance from June 1, 2011, to May 24, 2017, finding that his need for regular aid and attendance was not established during this period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's current coronary artery disease with acute, subacute, or old myocardial infarction with coronary stent is being remanded for further evaluation due to the lack of a medical nexus between his service-connected hypertension and his heart condition.
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