The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date and increased rating for service-connected coronary artery disease was denied. The Board found that the earliest effective date of August 31, 2010 is appropriate due to the liberalizing law change regarding ischemic heart disease (IHD)/coronary artery disease being added to the list of diseases presumed to be caused by exposure to an herbicide agent such as Agent Orange. The Veteran's claim for a higher rating was also denied because his coronary artery disease did not meet the criteria for a 30% or higher disability rating prior to November 20, 2014 and 60% thereafter.
The deciding factor: The effective date of service connection cannot be earlier than August 31, 2010 due to the liberalizing law change. The Veteran's coronary artery disease did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating based on the medical evidence provided.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20073208
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.
- 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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