The Board granted an effective date of July 21, 2016, for the grants of service connection for a heart disability, chest scar, and diabetes mellitus type II.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims were continuously pursued from July 21, 2016, and he was exposed to herbicides while serving in Thailand under the PACT Act provisions.
- Claimed conditions
- arteriosclerotic heart disease with coronary artery bypass graft and flutter with heart valve replacement (heart disability), surgical scar, anterior chest associated with the heart disability, diabetes mellitus type II
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 25, 2025
- Citation
- A25038427
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 service connection for coronary atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, and penile cancer as there was no evidence of a medical nexus between the Veteran's conditions and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to correct a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error, specifically to verify the Veteran's assertion of herbicide exposure while working on C-123 aircraft at Clark Air Base from May 1965 to November 1966.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, right hip degenerative joint disease and rheumatoid arthritis with acetabular cyst status post right total hip replacement, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, hypertension, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, fever sores, and a compromised immune system, as the evidence did not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for various conditions associated with a stroke, including obstructive sleep apnea, depression, and diabetes mellitus type II.
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