The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected PTSD contributed to his death, and therefore grants service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: A VA physician provided an opinion stating that the veteran's service-connected PTSD contributed to the development of a heart disorder which was a contributing cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depression with PTSD, Severe cardiomyopathy, Atrial fibrillation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 9, 2002
- Citation
- 0209585
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 0209585.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for congestive heart failure with implanted pacemaker, bradycardia, valvular heart disease, and atrial fibrillation, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 100 percent evaluation for coronary artery disease and awarded special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance, while denying earlier effective dates for both conditions and an increased rating for atrial fibrillation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for atrial fibrillation and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with congestive heart failure to correct an error by the AOJ in satisfying a regulatory or statutory duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death due to a lack of adequate medical evidence regarding the potential nexus between atrial fibrillation and in-service exposure, as well as other service-connected disabilities.
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