The Board granted service connection for congestive heart failure with implanted pacemaker, bradycardia, valvular heart disease, and atrial fibrillation, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hypertension.
The deciding factor: Service connection was granted based on a private medical opinion that concluded the heart conditions were at least as likely as not due to the Veteran's service-connected hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive heart failure with implanted pacemaker, Bradycardia, Valvular heart disease, Atrial fibrillation
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- December 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25110916
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,199 · Granted: 25% (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 A25110916.
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 service connection for heart condition was granted with an effective date of August 1, 2019. The decision is based on evidence showing exposure to diesel and gas fuel during service.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cardiac condition, including bradycardia with an implanted pacemaker, is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to SMC based on the need for aid and attendance for the Veteran's spouse due to conflicting information in the June 2025 examination. A VA examination is needed to determine if the spouse requires regular aid and attendance.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for GERD and bradycardia have been denied. The Board has also remanded the Veteran's claims regarding hypertension, right knee instability, and limitation of motion.
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