The veteran's death was due to cardiac sudden death, which is not service-connected. The service-connected nummular eczema and stasis dermatitis did not contribute to the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The VA cardiologist concluded that the veteran's service-connected conditions were not causally related to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiac sudden death, ventricular tachycardia, dilated cardiomyopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 7, 2001
- Citation
- 0127118
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 0127118.
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 an initial evaluation of 30 percent for the period from September 20, 2022 to June 13, 2023 and a 60 percent evaluation from October 1, 2023, but denied an earlier effective date prior to September 20, 2022.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for the service-connected ventricular tachycardia and granted an earlier effective date of August 10, 2022, but no earlier, for the assignment of the 10 percent disability rating for the service-connected sinusitis.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including non-obstructive cardiomyopathy, as the evidence did not support a finding that his current heart conditions were related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as the evidence did not show that the causes of his death were related to service or a service-connected disability.
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