The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death was not incurred or aggravated by service, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: No medical evidence linked the veteran's heart condition to his military service, nor did it manifest within a year after separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- electromechanical dissociation, hypoxemia, adult respiratory syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 7, 2002
- Citation
- 0202171
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0202171.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, including pneumonia, hypoxemia, and esophageal cancer, is determined to be related to herbicide agent exposure during service. Service connection for the cause of death is granted.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including respiratory issues, sleep apnea, skin conditions, and shaking, due to deficiencies in the medical nexus opinions.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death pursuant to the PACT Act on a presumptive basis.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his conditions were not related to his military service.
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