The Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disability and heart surgery scar was granted with an effective date of May 29, 2013. The rating assigned is 60% for the heart disability.
The deciding factor: Service records were later found to show that the Veteran had been exposed to herbicide agents in Vietnam, which triggered presumptive service connection based on Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), IHD, atherosclerotic cardio disease, old myocardial infarction
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- April 9, 2026
- Citation
- A26033295
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 A26033295.
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 Board has remanded the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD), obstructive sleep apnea, headaches, old myocardial infarction, and stable angina due to insufficient evidence or lack of proper examination.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease, including atherosclerotic heart disease of the coronary artery and old myocardial infarction, on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a new VA examination to determine the current nature and severity of his service-connected coronary artery disease (CAD), status post myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), with cardiomegaly, and valvular heart disease. The examiner must address the impact of medication on the Veteran's disability.
- Granted
The Veteran's heart conditions, including CAD, MI, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, congestive heart failure, supraventricular arrhythmia, and CABG are granted as presumed due to herbicide exposure. DM is also granted. Peripheral neuropathy of the LLE, RLE, LUE, and RUE is granted secondary to DM.
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