The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease, claimed as due to exposure to herbicides during his Naval service aboard the USS George K. Mackenzie (DD-836), is granted because he served in the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of the Republic of Vietnam and has a current diagnosis of mild coronary artery disease.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service connection claim was granted based on his presumed exposure to herbicides during his active duty service aboard the USS George K. Mackenzie (DD-836) in the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of the Republic of Vietnam, and he has a current diagnosis of mild coronary artery disease.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20066548
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, type II, left eye diabetic retinopathy, left foot diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right foot diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and coronary artery disease, as well as the Veteran's cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for coronary artery disease to correct duty to assist errors, as there are no adequate medical opinions of record.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease, vascular headaches, and cerebrovascular accident with left eye vision problem rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment from April 1, 2015 to May 28, 2018.
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