The Board denied service connection for sick sinus syndrome with implanted cardiac pacemaker, attributing the condition to a combination of factors including scar tissue from heart surgery and age-related issues. The Veteran's belief in herbicide exposure as the cause was not considered valid due to lack of medical expertise.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no causal link between the Veteran’s sick sinus syndrome with pacemaker and his service, attributing it to pre-existing conditions and medication.
- Claimed conditions
- sick sinus syndrome, implanted cardiac pacemaker
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 23, 2021
- Citation
- 21009861
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 21009861.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in providing notice of a hearing and for reopening the claim.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for the cause of death and remanded the issue of a compensable disability rating for bilateral defective hearing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a more thorough examination, including METs testing, and consideration of his testimony at the Board hearing.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Barrett's esophagus, sick sinus syndrome, and prostate cancer due to exposure at Camp Lejeune. The Veteran also receives special monthly compensation based on the loss of use of a creative organ.
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