The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by or related to his service-connected conditions, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish a direct link between the veteran's service-connected rheumatic fever and his subsequent death from complications including congestive heart failure and bowel obstruction.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatic fever, perforated intestine, bowel obstruction, hypoproteinemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2002
- Citation
- 0206255
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 0206255.
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 veteran's claims for service connection for several conditions, including low back disability and diabetes mellitus, type II, were granted. The claim for rheumatic fever was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the appeal for further development due to new evidence added since the April 2024 supplemental statement of the case and consideration of both the former and revised versions of the rating criteria.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including chronic pancreatitis with GERD and hiatal hernia, did not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to their severity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings have been remanded due to the need to consider the ameliorative effects of medication on his bowel obstruction. The abdominal scars and right groin strain issues remain unresolved.
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