The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart condition, including as due to chemical exposure from weapons stockpiles and ammunition depots, or asbestos exposure aboard a U.S. Naval vessel, finding no evidence of in-service incurrence or relationship to active duty service.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient medical evidence linking the Veteran's current heart conditions to his active duty service, including any claimed exposures.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart Condition, Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, Heart block, Valvular heart disease, Essential hypertension, Mixed hyperlipidemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20066481
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,035 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20066481.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection for heart condition was granted with an effective date of August 1, 2019. The decision is based on evidence showing exposure to diesel and gas fuel during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for further development regarding toxic exposures and a VA examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's heart conditions and PTSD were rated at their highest levels (100% for heart conditions, 70% for PTSD) effective December 11, 2019. Additionally, the Veteran was granted benefits related to his disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an earlier effective date of January 9, 2023 for a 70% evaluation for PTSD with alcohol use disorder and for individual unemployability.
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