The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's heart disability including atrial fibrillation, stable angina, supraventricular premature complexes, status post implantable loop recorder, status post endovascular surgery due to aortic dissection, and palpitations, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded the Veteran's current heart disabilities were less likely than not incurred in service, as evidenced by his lack of ongoing treatment for palpitations from 1987 until 2020 and the absence of a nexus between his in-service complaints and his current disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- atriial fibrillation, stable angina, supraventricular premature complexes, status post implantable loop recorder, status post endovascular surgery due to aortic dissection, palpitations
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2024
- Citation
- A24085918
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 A24085918.
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 a heart condition to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA clinician regarding whether the Veteran's current heart condition is related to service, including in-service treatment for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 30 percent, but not higher, prior to November 14, 2021 for stable angina and valvular heart disease associated with hypertension. The claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent since that date was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and remanded a claim for TDIU, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings for his heart disability or hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, dizziness, headaches, palpitations, shortness of breath (dyspnea), sleep apnea, plantar fasciitis and heel spurs, and left big toe posttraumatic residual pain.
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