The Board denied the veteran's widow's claim for DIC benefits because there was no evidence linking his death to service, and he did not have a service-connected disability at the time of his death.
The deciding factor: The medical records do not establish that the cause of the veteran's death is related to his period of active service.
- Claimed conditions
- Atherosclerosis, Cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2002
- Citation
- 0202900
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 0202900.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and duty-to-assist errors, requiring a new medical opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's neuroendocrine tumor.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for peripheral artery disease and atherosclerosis, bilateral above-the-knee amputations, and right arm disability status-post two strokes. The claim of eligibility for VA outpatient dental treatment was dismissed due to the absence of an initial determination by VHA.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for liver disability, atherosclerosis, TBI, and hyperlipidemia as there was no evidence of current disabilities.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for various conditions and granted an initial 20 percent rating for right lower extremity deep vein thrombosis, while remanding several other issues.
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