Question:

Can a connection be made between agent orange and congestive heart failure and progressive heart disease?

Jim's Reply:

"Heart disease" is a very broad descriptor. There are dozens of things that can cause a malfunction that will lead to health issues so we won't go there. 
 

The only cardiac medical condition that can be directly linked as presumptive to agent orange is Ischemic Heart Disease or IHD. IHD is a condition of the arteries that supply fresh oxygenated blood to the muscle of the heart as it pumps and this function is not always associated with congestive heart failure (CHF). 
 

IHD can cause a heart attack that leads to CHF however. If one has a heart attack because of an agent orange service connected IHD, the CHF may be sought as a secondary condition caused or aggravated or contributed to by the IHD.
 

Without IHD as the cause, CHF is always likely to be denied as service connected. Document the IHD and go from there.