The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, concluding that neither cardiovascular disease nor diabetes mellitus was incurred in or aggravated by service and were not related to any service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no evidence showing a direct link between the veteran's service and his later-developed cardiovascular issues or diabetes. The Board also determined that his service-connected psychiatric condition did not contribute substantially to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Myocardial Infarction, Cardiomyopathy, Diabetes, Ventricular Tachycardia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 18, 2001
- Citation
- 0114085
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 0114085.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain new medical opinions regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing his service in the Panama Canal Zone and potential exposure to toxins.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric condition and diabetes, to ensure that all relevant VA treatment records are associated with the claims file.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure with ICD placement, diabetes mellitus, gastroesophageal reflux disease, tinnitus, sinus tachycardia, and cardiomyopathy. The claims for irritable bowel syndrome and an acquired psychiatric disorder were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his alcohol-related causes of death were etiologically linked to a service-connected disability.
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