The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death due to a lack of evidence showing that any of the listed conditions are service-connected.
The deciding factor: The primary and contributory causes of death (heart, lung, and kidney disorders) began many years after service and were not caused by any incident of service.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiorespiratory arrest, ventricular fibrillation, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, end stage renal disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 7, 2002
- Citation
- 0202179
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 0202179.
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.
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The Board remands the case to obtain a new medical opinion regarding the Veteran's ischemic heart disease, as the previous opinions were found inadequate.
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- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of the 10 percent evaluation for left knee meniscus, effective April 21, 2025, and an additional 20 percent rating was also granted.
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