The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease (IHD) secondary to exposure to herbicide agents and the cause of death due to IHD. The Veteran was found to have been exposed to herbicide agents in Vietnam, leading to presumptive service connection.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Vietnam is presumed based on historical evidence and top secret clearance, which led to service connection for ischemic heart disease (IHD). The cause of death was determined to be the Veteran's long history of coronary heart disease and ischemic cardiomyopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease (IHD), Coronary artery disease, Ischemic cardiomyopathy
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20080558
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,990 · Granted: 35% (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 20080558.
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
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- Granted
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