The Board has granted service connection for a heart disability and bilateral hearing loss. The heart disability is presumed due to herbicide agent exposure, while the hearing loss is attributed to in-service noise exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's diagnoses of ischemic heart disease and CAD are presumed related to his exposure to herbicide agents during service. His bilateral hearing loss is linked to in-service noise exposure as testified by him and supported by lay statements from friends and family.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease, CAD
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2026
- Citation
- A26009999
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 A26009999.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating of 30 percent prior to July 18, 2014, and a higher than 60 percent rating thereafter for ischemic heart disease is being remanded due to incomplete evidence. The examiner needs to provide more detailed information about the severity of his service-connected condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and increased rating for ischemic heart disease due to a failure by the AOJ to request SSA records, which were not available.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for direct payment of attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in May 2024, as the appellant was eligible but his claim is moot due to a calculation error and no case or controversy remains.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected ischemic heart disease, including coronary artery disease and three myocardial infarctions. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death.
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