The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his fatal cardiomyopathy with arrhythmia was likely due to coronary artery disease and hypertension, which are presumptively service connected given his Agent Orange exposure in Guam and Thailand.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had at least presumptive Agent Orange exposure in Guam/Thailand, developed coronary artery disease and hypertension, both of which are presumptively service connected given proof of Agent Orange exposure, and the risk factors listed by the VA examiner for the Veteran's fatal cardiomyopathy with arrhythmia included coronary artery disease, hypertension, and heart surgery.
- Claimed conditions
- Coronary artery disease, Hypertension, Cardiomyopathy, Arrhythmia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 6, 2024
- Citation
- A24081393
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 A24081393.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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