The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is denied as he does not have an additional disability that is not already service-connected due to VA treatment in June 2014. The petition to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea is granted, and the issue of increased rating for heart disability is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's CABG surgery was deemed necessary due to cardiac blockage identified during an angiogram, but he does not have additional disability that is not already service-connected as a result of VA treatment in June 2014. The evidence submitted since the March 2016 denial relates to an unestablished fact (the need for triple bypass surgery) necessary to substantiate his claim of service connection for sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease, left atrial enlargement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- April 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20030640
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 20030640.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and stroke as there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during service and the medical opinions were against a nexus to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease with myocardial infarction is granted on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty in Korea.
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