Heart diseases

[clarence coskrey]

I was told that i has a abnormal heart rhythm after retiring from the military in 1994. I was diagnose with heart disease .

In January of 2023 requiring one stent being placed in January and another in July. I hanv never file a VA claim.

would this be consider service related and the heart problem manifested post service?

Thank you for taking time to read this message

 

[broncovet]

Welcome to hadit.  Great question!

Unfortunately, with 

VA the answer is more complex.  

Whether or not this is service connected depends on if you have 3 Caluaza elements:

1.  Current diagnosis of heart problems.  

It sounds like you may well have this covered, according to your post.  

2.  In service event (which caused your heart problems).  Since you unlikely had heart problems prior to service, and you did have heart problems upon retiring, it follows that something in service caused your heart trouble.

3 nexus statement.  this is made by your doctor.

But wait!  Depending upon where you served, and when, you may be eligible for presumptive service connection, such as service in Vietnam, or other places.  

look over this and see if any of these apply to you

https://www.michigan.gov/mvaa/health-and-welfare/service-connected-presumptive-conditions

bottom line:

you are likely eligible for benefits but we dont know your history so we cant say for certain.

i recommend you apply asap

 

[Dustoff1970]

If you served with boots on the ground at any time in the Vietnam war or near the coast in Blue Water Navy then you may qualify for presumptive Ischemic heart disease IHD/CAD under the Agent Orange ACT.   Other locations have been added since then such as the Korean DMZ on certain dates and in Thailand at certain bases depending on your actual location and MOS.

As an example I was diagnosed and VA service connected for Nam AO IHD/CAD heart disease in 2017 with now a 60% rating.  I served in Nam as Army medevac pilot in 1970.

38 CFR 4.104 Diagnostic Code 7005 states the requirements for VA service connection of Ischemic heart disease.

I may be wrong but believe that Ischemic IHD/CAD heart disease is the only heart ailment type that is presumed by VA/Congress to have been caused by AGent Orange.

Other will clarify this for you and a qualified VSO at a VA regional office or hospital can be of assist to you with a claim free of charge.

My comment is not legal advice as I am not a lawyer, paralegal or VSO.

 

 

 

[Vync]

@clarence coskrey Welcome to Hadit! I agree with the good advice posted here by @broncovet and @Dustoff1970.

My father retired from the Army in 1990 and was granted a 0% SC rating for abnormal heart rhythm at that time. He recently filed his first set of claims since then, but those should be completed soon. When I brought up filing claims with the VA, he generally responded with avoidance. 

Look into learning more about effective dates, retroactive compensation payments, and rating protection criteria. You'll see plenty of reasons to consider filing sooner than later. Look into doing an "intent to file" with the VA. It tells the VA you plan to file a disability claim, but gives you one year to formally submit. If you win, your effective date would be back to when you submitted the "intent to file". However, if you don't formally submit, you can still file later, but you would lose your effective date.

 

Edited October 5, 2023 by Vync

[Rattler]

11 hours ago, Dustoff1970 said:

 

Ok Dustoff1970 I gotta ask the question from one pilot to another did that landing hurt as much as it looks or was that not you?One of the good things about the UH1 was it took a licking and keep on ticking.