The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cardiovascular disability, finding that there was no evidence of chronic in-service symptoms or manifestations within the applicable presumptive period.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a causal relationship between the current cardiovascular conditions and the Veteran's military service due to lack of in-service diagnosis and onset many years after service separation.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive heart failure, Valvular heart disease, Cardiomyopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 24, 2025
- Citation
- 25008285
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for congestive heart failure with implanted pacemaker, bradycardia, valvular heart disease, and atrial fibrillation, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hypertension.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a cardiovascular disability, secondary to hypertension, but denied a compensable rating and an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
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