The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for coronary artery disease and PTSD, as well as service connection for bilateral pes planus, were dismissed. The Board also remanded several other issues including hearing loss, sleep disorder, head condition, right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, chronic low back condition, right hip condition, left hip condition, right knee condition, and left knee condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings for coronary artery disease with stable angina and PTSD, as well as service connection for bilateral pes planus in the March 2019 Board hearing. The remaining issues were remanded for further evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Coronary artery disease (CAD), Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Bilateral pes planus, Bilateral hearing loss, Sleep disorder, Head condition, Right shoulder condition, Left shoulder condition, Chronic low back condition, Right hip condition, Left hip condition, Right knee condition, Left knee condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2020
- Citation
- 20068969
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,549 · Granted: 26% (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 20068969.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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 a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for SMC based on aid and attendance from June 1, 2011, to May 24, 2017, finding that his need for regular aid and attendance was not established during this period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's current coronary artery disease with acute, subacute, or old myocardial infarction with coronary stent is being remanded for further evaluation due to the lack of a medical nexus between his service-connected hypertension and his heart condition.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the (o) rate and SMC at the (r)(2) rate, effective January 19, 2025. The decision finds that the Veteran's service-connected conditions warrant these awards due to his need for aid and attendance.
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