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.
The deciding factor: There was no credible evidence supporting the Veteran's claimed exposure to herbicide agents during service, which would have been required for presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e).
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic Heart Disease, Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, Coronary Artery Disease, Supraventricular Arrhythmia, Valvular Heart Disease, Heart Valve Replacement, Hypertensive Heart Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21062201
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21062201.
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: Granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for coronary heart disease effective February 10, 2021. The Veteran's condition did not meet the criteria for an earlier effective date or increased rating.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's CAD warrants a 60 percent rating, but the Board has determined that an earlier effective date is warranted due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding direct service connection.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran is granted SMC at the rate of 50% for his service-connected conditions from April 20, 2020 to June 7, 2021.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective March 2, 2018, due to his service-connected disabilities including PTSD and other conditions. The decision also noted that the Veteran is currently self-employed as a truck driver.
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