The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, ischemic heart disease (including coronary artery disease), and PTSD prior to March 11, 2021. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's initial rating of 30 percent for PTSD prior to March 11, 2021 is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension and ischemic heart disease (including coronary artery disease) are related to his presumed herbicide exposure in Vietnam, while service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied due to lack of a qualifying hearing impairment. The initial rating of 30 percent for PTSD prior to March 11, 2021 is granted based on the Veteran's occupational and social impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, ischemic heart disease (including coronary artery disease), bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2021
- Citation
- 21064277
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 21064277.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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