The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, ischemic heart disease (IHD), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent placement as secondary to IHD, hypertensive heart disease, and emphysema. The COPD claim was denied.
The deciding factor: Service connection was granted based on the Veteran's exposure to herbicides while serving in or near the Korean demilitarized zone, which is presumed for certain conditions under the PACT Act of 2022.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Ischemic heart disease (IHD), to include atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CAD), Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent placement, as secondary to CAD, Hypertensive heart disease, to include hypertension, Emphysema
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- December 4, 2025
- Citation
- A25104586
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,963 · Granted: 32% (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 A25104586.
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 Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals of the initial ratings for his service-connected chronic cough and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to procedural errors in the evidentiary record.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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