The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and found that his death was not caused by a service-connected disability. The appellant's income exceeded the maximum annual income limitations, thus denying her entitlement to improved death pension.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that any of the conditions contributing to the veteran's death were incurred in or aggravated by service.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive Heart Failure, Ischemic Cardiomyopathy, End Stage Renal Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 19, 2002
- Citation
- 0212496
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 0212496.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary fibrosis as these conditions were not related to the Veteran's service, including his exposure to Agent Orange.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, sleep apnea, and erectile dysfunction.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that end stage renal disease was at least as likely as not due to active service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for COPD, obstructive sleep apnea, atrial fibrillation, and hypertension as not being related to the Veteran's active duty or secondary to his service-connected GAD. However, congestive heart failure was granted due to a secondary relationship with his service-connected GAD.
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