The Board denied service connection for muscle weakness, anoxic brain injury, heart failure, and dysphagia as secondary to respiratory failure with hypoxia, and denied special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance or housebound status.
The deciding factor: The Veteran is not service connected for a respiratory condition; therefore, his claimed conditions are not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- muscle weakness, anoxic brain injury, heart failure with automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator status post cardiac arrest (heart failure), dysphagia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 3, 2025
- Citation
- A25048734
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for dysphagia and remanded the claims for residuals from a colon tumor, gallbladder removal, papillary urethral carcinoma, and heart disability due to potential exposure to herbicide agents and ionizing radiation.
- Granted
The Veteran's dysphagia, diaphragmatic hernia without obstruction or gangrene, and GERD were granted a 30 percent rating from June 30, 2022.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands all service connection claims for additional development, including obtaining a TERA memorandum and new medical opinions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, deviated nasal septum, and kidney stones while denying service connection for hearing loss, dyspepsia, left thumb ganglion, right wrist pain, left wrist pain, and allergic rhinitis. The Board also granted an increased rating of 30 percent for tension headaches.
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