The Board denied service connection for a heart disability, finding that the Veteran's current heart conditions did not manifest in service or to a compensable degree within one year of separation. The Board also found no nexus between the Veteran's heart disabilities and his presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions were against a direct relationship between the Veteran's heart disabilities and his service, including presumed herbicide agent exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- left ventricular hypertrophy, mild diastolic dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20068824
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20068824.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ventricular hypertrophy and Fabry's disease as secondary to his service-connected hypertension.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error, and will consider service connection for heart disorders based on direct evidence or secondary to hypertension.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in obtaining relevant private treatment records and VA opinions, which were not sufficient for a decision on service connection.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for left ventricular hypertrophy and service connection for sinus bradycardia are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.
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