The Veteran's service connection claim for constrictive pericarditis is granted due to presumed exposure to ionizing radiation during his service at Thule Air Force Base and Johnson Atoll.
The deciding factor: Radiation exposure from the B-52 bomber crash caused by nuclear weapons led to radioactive contamination in the vicinity of Thule Air Force Base, Greenland. The Veteran's pericarditis is related to this exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- constrictive pericarditis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 17, 2023
- Citation
- 23045864
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 23045864.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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 has determined that the Veteran's constrictive pericarditis is etiologically related to his service, including exposure to asbestos while serving on the U.S.S. Spartanburg County.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to constrictive pericarditis, which was found to be related to his untreated tuberculosis during service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the veteran's constrictive pericarditis is not well grounded as a claim for service connection, and denied his increased rating for PTSD. The current ratings of 50 percent are maintained.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
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