The Board granted service connection for a heart disability, Meniere's disease, and restless arm and leg syndromes on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam. It also granted earlier effective dates for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as an initial 100 percent rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports the Veteran's claims based on his exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam, which is a presumptive basis for certain conditions including heart disease and Meniere's disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Coronary artery disease with congestive heart failure, Meniere's disease, Willis-Ekbom disease of the right arm, Willis-Ekbom disease of the left arm, Willis-Ekbom disease of the right leg, Willis-Ekbom disease of the left leg
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- April 1, 2025
- Citation
- A25029734
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 719 · Granted: 54% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25029734.
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 Veteran's claim for a higher level of SMC was denied as the Board found that he is already in receipt of SMC at the (l) rate based on need for regular aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease with congestive heart failure. A second award of SMC at the (l) rate based on need for regular aid and attendance was not warranted.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed all appeals for service connection and increased rating claims due to untimely Notice of Disagreement submissions.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings in excess of 30 percent for peripheral vestibular disorders (Meniere's disease) and unspecified somatic symptom and related disorder have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of the claims prior to a decision being made.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's Meniere's disease is caused by or aggravated by his service-connected hearing loss and/or tinnitus.
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