The Board granted an earlier effective date of September 20, 2016, for the grant of service connection for coronary artery disease based on the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange and the addition of CAD to the presumptive list.
The deciding factor: The Veteran met all eligibility criteria at the time of his original claim in September 2017, as he had a diagnosis of CAD prior to filing his claim and his herbicide exposure was conceded to have occurred in-service. Therefore, an earlier effective date is warranted under 38 C.F.R. § 3.114(a)(3).
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease (CAD)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 1, 2025
- Citation
- A25056964
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 the veteran's claims for increased ratings for left foot bursitis and coronary artery disease, as well as special monthly compensation based on housebound status.
- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of a 60 percent rating for coronary artery disease (CAD) effective June 1, 2021, and increased ratings for mid-sternum scar, left lower extremity (LLE) scar, and migraines to 10%, 20%, and 50% respectively, all effective October 26, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for the AOJ to provide the Veteran with notice concerning his right to a hearing on a supplemental claim in accordance with 38 C.F.R. § 3.103(b)(1) and (d)(1).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) based on the Veteran's presumed exposure to herbicides during his service in Vietnam.
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