The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of a heart disability, as there was no evidence of an intent to file a claim prior to August 7, 2023, and the Nehmer provisions did not apply.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence that the Veteran submitted a formal or informal claim for a heart condition before August 7, 2023, and the Nehmer provisions do not provide an earlier effective date in this case.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease with congestive heart failure, stable angina, implanted cardiac pacemaker, AICD, heart block, atrial fibrillation, premature ventricular contraction, coronary artery bypass graft
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2025
- Citation
- A25042157
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 appeal regarding the Veteran's entitlement to an initial compensable evaluation for atrial fibrillation is remanded due to unclear evidence on whether continuous medication is required for its control.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, hiatal hernia, COPD, and prostate cancer as a result of toxic exposure during the Veteran's military service.
- 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 service connection for squamous cell cancer and denied the claims for an earlier effective date, service connection for implanted cardiac pacemaker, and several other conditions.
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