The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death, coronary artery disease, was not incurred or aggravated during his military service and is not presumed to have been so incurred. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or contributed substantially or materially to his death.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion concluded that the cause of death (coronary artery disease) was not related to military service or any service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Muscle Group XX, lumbar spine, shell fragment wound residuals, post operative abdominal scar, residuals of a fracture of the 2nd and 3rd lumbar vertebra, residuals of a healed laceration of the right lobe of the liver
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 20, 2002
- Citation
- 0210132
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 0210132.
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.
- Granted
The veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee strain, left knee strain, lumbar radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and lumbar radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. It also granted initial ratings for various disabilities including a 20 percent rating for lumbar degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome, spondylosis, and spondylolisthesis, a 30 percent rating for labral tear, including superior labral anterior-posterior lesion, status post surgical repair, and higher ratings for other conditions.
- Dismissed
The appeal for earlier effective dates for lumbar spine and bilateral lower extremity sciatica was dismissed due to a procedural defect in the docketing of the appeal.
- Dismissed
The appeal to reopen the previously denied claims for service connection for bilateral foot, lumbar spine, and right leg conditions is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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