The Board has determined that the reduction of the disability rating for heart valve replacement surgery from 100 percent to 60 percent was not proper and is void ab initio, as there is no evidence of improvement in the Veteran's condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not show any actual improvement in the Veteran's service-connected heart valve replacement disability, despite the interview-based METs test conducted during the August 2019 VA examination.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart Valve Replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 15, 2021
- Citation
- A21020058
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A21020058.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disability, as he was not provided with an adequate VA examination and additional private treatment records were not obtained prior to scheduling him for the examination. The Veteran is seeking service connection for his diagnosed heart disabilities, including mitral valve repair, which are claimed to be related to in-service asbestos exposure.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claim of exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand, and thus service connection for his heart disability cannot be established.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and there is no evidence that VA medical treatment contributed to his death. The cause of death was pneumonia.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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