The veteran's service-connected disabilities did not substantially or materially contribute to his death, and the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that any other disability was a cause of his death. The claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 is also denied as there is no evidence showing the veteran would have been entitled to a 100% rating but for CUE in a final decision.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that any service-connected disability was a cause of death, and the appellant has not shown hypothetical entitlement under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318(b)(3).
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Atrial Fibrillation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2001
- Citation
- 0101028
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 0101028.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a total disability rating for compensation based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities effective July 29, 2019, but not earlier.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for COPD, obstructive sleep apnea, atrial fibrillation, and hypertension as not being related to the Veteran's active duty or secondary to his service-connected GAD. However, congestive heart failure was granted due to a secondary relationship with his service-connected GAD.
- Denied
The Board denied entitlement to an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension, as well as a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss.
- Granted
The Veteran's heart block is granted as secondary to service-connected sleep apnea, hypertension, and PTSD. The issue of a heart disability other than those already service connected is remanded.
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