The veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease and malnutrition did not cause his death, nor did they contribute substantially or materially to it. The cerebrovascular accident that led to his death was not caused by any incident of active military service.
The deciding factor: VA medical opinion stated that ischemic heart disease is not a prerequisite for the development of a cerebrovascular accident and there was no proof of embolism from an intracardiac thrombus causing the veteran's stroke.
- Claimed conditions
- ischemic heart disease, malnutrition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 25, 2002
- Citation
- 0212981
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 0212981.
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.
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The Board remands the case to obtain a new medical opinion regarding the Veteran's ischemic heart disease, as the previous opinions were found inadequate.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of a heart condition, to include ischemic heart disease and/or cardiomyopathy due to cardiac amyloidosis, for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 30 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected cardiovascular disability, but denied a higher rating from December 15, 2022, through September 14, 2025.
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