The Veteran is granted a total rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to March 14, 2025, and special monthly compensation (SMC) based on housebound status.
The deciding factor: The service-connected valvular heart disease with cardiomyopathy disability solely prevents the Veteran from being able to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to March 14, 2025. The Veteran also meets the criteria for SMC(s) based on his single 100 percent disabling service-connected disability and other independently rated disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- valvular heart disease with cardiomyopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- November 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25099926
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,960 · Granted: 36% (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 A25099926.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted an effective date of March 15, 2019 for the award of special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate due to the Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease and valvular heart disease with cardiomyopathy. The decision also grants earlier effective dates for service connection of bilateral lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to December 15, 2016 have been denied as there is no evidence of a claim filed before this date.,The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease with cardiomyopathy, diabetes mellitus type II, and hypertension on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents while serving aboard the USS Hornet in Vietnam.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and valvular heart disease with cardiomyopathy is granted. The Board found that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his service-connected hypertension.
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