The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD.,The Veteran's hypertension is granted due to presumed herbicide exposure during service.,The Veteran's coronary artery disease (ischemic heart disease) is granted an initial disability evaluation of 60 percent, effective April 25, 2017.,The Veteran's atrial fibrillation with implanted cardiac pacemaker associated with coronary artery disease is granted an initial disability evaluation of 30 percent, effective April 25, 2018.
The deciding factor: A March 2020 opinion from the Veteran's psychologist concluded that his PTSD aggravated his sleep apnea. The Board found this opinion persuasive and supported by medical literature.,The Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during service, leading to a presumption of hypertension due to Agent Orange exposure. The NAS study provided evidence supporting this presumption.,The Veteran's coronary artery disease is rated at 60 percent based on the METs level of 4.7 from a November 2018 stress test, which exceeds the threshold for a 60 percent evaluation under pre-amendment criteria.,The Veteran's atrial fibrillation with implanted cardiac pacemaker associated with coronary artery disease is rated at 30 percent based on the METs level of 4.7 from a November 2018 stress test, which exceeds the threshold for a 30 percent evaluation under pre-amendment criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, coronary artery disease (ischemic heart disease), atriial fibrillation with implanted cardiac pacemaker
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- October 26, 2022
- Citation
- 22060274
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 22060274.
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.
- 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 denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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