The Board denied the claim of entitlement to service-connection for cause of death, finding that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.
The deciding factor: The VA physician concluded that the most likely substantial material contributors were Rheumatoid Arthritis and hyperlipidemia which both cause changes in the arterial blood vessels leading to heart attack (myocardial infarction). The service-connected conditions manifested no changes in the status, which would contribute to or cause death in the veteran based on the claims file review.
- Claimed conditions
- acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, rheumatoid arthritis, hyperlipidemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 26, 2002
- Citation
- 0203870
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 0203870.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes mellitus; granted service connection for erectile dysfunction and skin cancer; and restored the 10 percent rating for hypertension.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for coronary artery disease, which is presumed related to in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and systemic lupus erythematosus as there was no evidence of onset during active service or etiological relationship to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
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