The Board has granted the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his death was due to coronary artery disease (CAD), which is presumed to be related to herbicide agent exposure during service in Vietnam. The appeal was reopened based on new evidence received since the previous denial.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran served in the Republic of Vietnam and was exposed to herbicide agents, leading to a presumption of service connection for his coronary artery disease (CAD).
- Claimed conditions
- CAD
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20067020
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 715 · Granted: 43% (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 20067020.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU rating is granted with an effective date of March 15, 2017.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected ischemic heart disease, including coronary artery disease and three myocardial infarctions. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for direct payment of attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in May 2024, as the appellant was eligible but his claim is moot due to a calculation error and no case or controversy remains.
- Granted
The Veteran's ischemic heart disease (CAD) is rated at a maximum of 100 percent, as the evidence shows that a METs level of 1 to 3 results in angina, dizziness, or syncope.
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