The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for ischemic heart disease was denied as the severity level of his condition did not meet the criteria for a total (100%) rating.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder prior to May 15, 2017, was denied because there is no evidence showing that the Veteran expressed belief in entitlement or filed an informal claim before this date. The effective date of service connection has been granted from May 2017.,The Veteran's claim for hypertension was remanded as the medical records did not meet the regulatory definition of hypertension.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that the severity level of the Veteran’s ischemic heart disease meets the criteria for a total (100%) rating, which requires specific percentages based on CHF, METs, or LVEF levels. The current ratings are at 60%.,Service connection has been granted from May 2017 because there is no evidence showing that the Veteran expressed belief in entitlement to service connection for his psychiatric disorder prior to this date. The effective date of service connection was effectuated based on the earliest permissible date by law, which is May 15, 2017.,The medical records did not meet the regulatory definition of hypertension as defined for VA benefit purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease, Acquired psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20047260
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 20047260.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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 claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating of 30 percent prior to July 18, 2014, and a higher than 60 percent rating thereafter for ischemic heart disease is being remanded due to incomplete evidence. The examiner needs to provide more detailed information about the severity of his service-connected condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a determination on whether injuries sustained in a November 2001 incident were in the line of duty. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded due to its interdependence with the line of duty issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain private treatment records from the Veteran's treating clinician.
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