Question:

Hi Jim: Thanks for answering my question so quickly. (Disability claim only 10% for CAD.) I wonder if I still have a case for a NOD. I just ran across a Board of Veterans' Appeals decision (Citation Nr: 1756030 which was done 12/15/17 that very closely aligns with my case. The veteran had an echo which showed left atrium dilated, and they found to increase from 10 to 30%. There seems to be no other factors to make the increase. Is the Board in this case expanding the definition of dilatation from left ventricle to at least to include left atrium or other chambers of the heart. I would be interested in what your thoughts are with this finding. As always, please keep up the good work here, you are helping a lots of folks.

Jim's Reply:

You can try for that increase...we're allowed to file for any condition we believe is disabling and service connected. You'll have to provide some expert support such as an IMO from a physician, it's not likely VA will accept your word alone.