The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for cardiomegaly, as the evidence did not support a higher rating under the applicable criteria.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's cardiomegaly did not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to the absence of symptoms or findings that would warrant a more severe evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Cardiomegaly
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 2, 2024
- Citation
- 24000123
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of the cause of the Veteran's death to obtain a medical opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected lower back disability and his multiple heart disabilities, including obesity.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for systemic lupus erythematosus, alopecia areata, hypertension, sleep apnea, parathyroid cancer, cardiomegaly, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral upper extremity neuropathy, and arthritis of the bilateral feet, ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, and hands.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for an effective date earlier than January 14, 1994 for the grant of service connection for congestive heart failure and cardiomegaly due to lack of evidence of ischemic heart disease prior to death.
- Partly granted
The Veteran is entitled to a 100 percent rating for sarcoidosis due to FEV-1 less than 40 percent of the predicted value. The criteria for an evaluation in excess of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease at L4-5 and L5-S1 have not been met.
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