The Veteran's claim for service connection for Ischemic Heart Disease, including as due to exposure to herbicide agents during active service at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB), was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of herbicide agent exposure on a facts found or direct basis and thus could not grant service connection.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's MOS as a Personal Equipment Specialist placed him in areas not susceptible to enemy intrusion, which would not have exposed him to sprayed herbicide agents. The Board distinguished his duties from those of security police and dog handlers who were more likely to be near the base perimeter where herbicides were sprayed.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 1, 2022
- Citation
- 22019493
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 22019493.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a heart disability and hypertension due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors. The AOJ is required to obtain addendum medical opinions regarding toxic exposure risk activities (TERA).
- Granted
The Board has restored service connection for Ischemic Heart Disease, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Diabetes Mellitus type II, Chronic Kidney Disease, Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy of the lower left extremity sciatic nerve, Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy of the lower right extremity sciatic nerve, and Hypertension. The Board found that the original grant of service connection was not clearly erroneous due to the Veteran's exposure along the DMZ in Korea.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for ischemic heart disease prior to March 19, 2024 was denied. From March 19, 2024, the Veteran is rated at 60 percent for IHD and TDIU claims are not granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent prior to April 18, 2022 for Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) was denied.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent from April 18, 2022 to December 22, 2022 for IHD is pending and requires further development.
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