The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings have been dismissed. The Board has granted service connection for right lower extremity neurological impairment, but denied the rest of the claims.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection and increased ratings for various conditions, including hypertensive heart disease, right knee traumatic arthritis, left knee lateral instability, valvular heart disease, arteriosclerotic heart disease with ischemia, atrioventricular block, supraventricular arrhythmia with atrial fibrillation, sinus arrhythmia, and implantable cardiac pacemaker, and cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertensive heart disease, right knee traumatic arthritis, left knee lateral instability, right lower extremity neurological impairment, valvular heart disease, arteriosclerotic heart disease with ischemia, atriioventricular block, supraventricular arrhythmia with atrial fibrillation, sinus arrhythmia, and implantable cardiac pacemaker, cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- March 31, 2023
- Citation
- 23020072
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 23020072.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for valvular heart disease, peripheral vascular disease of the right and left legs, and hypertension were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher ratings under the applicable rating criteria.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating higher than 30 percent for cardiomegaly with cardiac hypertrophy and valvular heart disease has been dismissed due to the appellant withdrawing the appeal.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and other conditions, rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to July 21, 2025.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertensive heart disease as secondary to his service-connected hypertension.
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