Ischemic Heart Disease VA Claim Grants

Findings of Fact (verbatim from decision)

Resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, he has been shown to have served at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in the summer of 1968, and he has been diagnosed with IHD.

Findings of Fact (verbatim from decision)

1. Resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor, it is at least as likely as not that his current heart disability (diagnosed as a right bundle branch block, an AV conduction defect, and arteriosclerotic heart disease (coronary artery disease)) is related to an in-service injury, disease, or event, including exposure to toxic chemicals. 2. Resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor, it is at least as likely as not that his current hypertension is related to an in-service injury, disease, or event, including exposure to toxic chemicals.

Reasons & Bases (verbatim excerpts from decision)

Furthermore, the examiner stated that the Veteran's right bundle branch block and AV conduction defect were first documented in 2000, approximately nine years after Gulf War service, and well after other post-service cardiovascular risk factors became relevant. Coronary artery disease was also diagnosed post-service. There is no evidence of acute ischemic injury or conduction abnormality occurring during or immediately after documented exposures. Medically recognized latency mechanisms that could link TERA exposures to these conditions have not been established. The Veteran has established risk factors for acquired conduction abnormalities and coronary artery disease, including age-related degeneration of the cardiac conduction system, long-standing hypertension, and structural heart disease. Beta-blocker therapy and ischemic changes from coronary artery disease are more likely contributors to the conduction abnormalities than environmental exposures. According to the American Heart Association and peer-reviewed cardiology literature, right bundle branch block and AV conduction defects are most commonly acquired due to structural heart disease, hypertension, and ischemic injury rather than environmental exposures.…

Findings of Fact (verbatim from decision)

1. The Veteran's right leg varicose veins had an onset during service. 2. The Veteran's cardiovascular disability, to include ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and ischemic stroke, is presumed to have been incurred during service due to exposure to herbicides.

Reasons & Bases (verbatim excerpts from decision)

Based on a sympathetic assessment of the Veteran's claim for a right leg disability and considering the arguments set forth by the Veteran and the Appellant, the Board also grants entitlement to service connection for a cardiovascular disability, to include ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and ischemic stroke, for substitution benefits purposes. As noted, service connection for the cause of death of the Veteran was granted in a July 2016 rating decision, at which time the AOJ determined that the Veteran was exposed to herbicides while serving in Korea based on the October 2015 statement, and his ischemic heart disease, which contributed to his death, was presumptively related to his time in service. As such, the Board finds that entitlement to service connection for a cardiovascular disability, to include ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and ischemic stroke, for substitution benefits purposes, is granted. In so finding, all reasonable doubt has been resolved in favor of the Appellant.

Findings of Fact (verbatim from decision)

1. The Veteran's CAD is related to exposure to radioactive waste during his period of active duty service. 2. The Veteran's colon cancer is related to exposure to radioactive waste during his period of active duty service. 3. The Veteran's DM2 is related to exposure to radioactive waste during his period of active duty service.

Reasons & Bases (verbatim excerpts from decision)

The question for the Board is whether the Veteran's current disabilities began during service or is at least as likely as not related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.? The Board concludes that the Veteran has current diagnoses of CAD, residuals of colon cancer, and DM2 that were caused by exposure to radioactive waste during his period of active duty service. […] The record additionally includes November 2024 VA medical opinions wherein VA examiners opined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities were not related to radiation exposure. (11/18/2024, C&P Exam, p. 5). The Board finds that the November 2024 opinions are inadequate, as the opinions do not address the positive evidence of record, including the March 2018 opinion from the Veteran's private medical provider, Dr. Blevins' opinion, or the medical articles submitted by the Veteran. Further, in a May 2025 decision the Board found that these opinions were not responsive to the Board's previous remand directives. […] Conversely, the negative VA opinions failed to address the positive evidence of record and did not substantially comply with the Board's remand directives. The Board thus places more probative weight on the March 2018 and March 2025 medical opinions.

Findings of Fact (verbatim from decision)

1. After resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor, the Board finds that the Veteran's contracted hepatitis C from airgun vaccinations during service. 2. The weight of the evidence supports a finding that the Veteran's CAD was due to or caused by hepatitis C. 3. The weight of the evidence supports a finding that the Veteran's diabetes was due to or caused by hepatitis C.

Reasons & Bases (verbatim excerpts from decision)

In an April 2025 medical opinion, including a February 2026 addendum, a VA examiner attributed CAD and diabetes to hepatitis C, and in turn opined that it was at least as likely as not that hepatitis C resulted from airgun vaccinations during service. The Board finds that opinion is sufficient to reasonably raise the issue of hepatitis C as an unclaimed primary disability within the scope of the claims for CAD and diabetes. […] In an April 2025 medical opinion and a February 2026 medical opinion addendum, a VA examiner attributed the Veteran's hepatitis C to airgun vaccinations during service. The examiner noted that air gun injectors could perform over 500 injections per hour without any needles, and notes that air gun vaccine use was stopped in 1998 after a hepatitis B outbreak occurred in California. The examiner noted that the prevalence of hepatitis C was three times higher than the general population among some unspecified group (possibly Veterans or airgun vaccination recipients). The examiner noted that most air guns were not cleaned between uses, and opined that it was as likely as not that the Veteran's hepatitis C was caused by air gun vaccinations during service. The examiner cited a July 2021 article in the magazine "Valor," but did not discuss that source.