The Board found that the veteran's service-connected heart disorder did not contribute to his death or accelerate it. The cause of death was determined to be esophageal cancer, which began due to chronic reflux issues related to his service-connected conditions and aggravated by medications for those conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA physician concluded that the veteran's heart condition did not contribute to his death or accelerate it, as the arrhythmias were common following surgeries and unrelated to the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- mitral valve prolapse, hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, lumbar arthritis with right thigh radiculopathy, thoracic arthritis, sinusitis with rhinitis, sinus headaches, and chronic nose bleeds, right ear hearing loss, inguinal hernia repair, left knee crepitus, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2002
- Citation
- 0207192
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 0207192.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
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