The Veteran's heart disease with heart attack and anxiety and depressive disorder were denied. The claim for an increased rating for the service-connected anxiety and depressive disorder was granted, but only effective from May 18, 2016.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s current heart condition is less likely than not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran's symptoms of anxiety and depression were rated at 50% since May 18, 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disease with heart attack, anxiety and depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- December 31, 2020
- Citation
- 20081945
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (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 20081945.
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 service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as PTSD, anxiety and depressive disorder, is dismissed because the December 2022 Board decision granted service connection based on the same evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 70 percent for his psychiatric disorder, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, PTSD, left ear hearing loss, and right ear hearing loss due to a lack of current diagnoses or causal relationships with service. The Veteran was not awarded compensation for alcohol/substance abuse disorders as it is considered willful misconduct.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that it is related to the Veteran's service-connected anxiety and depressive disorder, right knee disability, and left knee disability. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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