The Veteran's heart disability was denied as it did not manifest in-service or within one year after separation, and is not shown to be causally related to service.,The Veteran's left shoulder disability was denied as the evidence does not support a finding that his current condition is directly related to service.
The deciding factor: Service connection for heart disability cannot be established because there is no in-service event, injury or disease and no causal relationship between the current diagnosis of non-ischemic coronary artery disease with history of sick sinus syndrome with atrial fibrillation and history of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy and service. The Veteran's heart condition does not qualify as ischemic heart disease due to exposure to herbicide agents.,Service connection for left shoulder disability cannot be established because there is no in-service event, injury or disease and the current diagnosis of non-ischemic coronary artery disease with history of sick sinus syndrome with atrial fibrillation and history of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy does not meet the criteria for ischemic heart disease due to exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart Disability, Left Shoulder Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20061151
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 20061151.
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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 right and left shoulder disabilities, finding insufficient evidence to establish an in-service event or injury related to his shoulders. The Veteran's current shoulder conditions are not linked to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities are remanded. The claim for sleep disorder (claimed as sleep apnea) remains denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date before April 1, 2018 for a 20% rating for left shoulder disability was denied. The appeal also resulted in the assignment of a 20% rating from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2018, and a TDIU granted from April 1, 2018 to September 3, 2025.
- Granted
The Veteran's heart disability has been rated at 100% from September 12, 2022 to August 18, 2023. He is also eligible for special monthly compensation and Dependents' Educational Assistance during this period.
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