The Board has determined that the veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by his service-connected conditions, including COPD and cardiovascular disease. The appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is denied.
The deciding factor: Service-connected disabilities did not contribute to cause or hasten the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Cardiovascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2002
- Citation
- 0214667
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 0214667.
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 asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for additional development, including obtaining a new examination and further developing evidence related to toxic exposure during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as a pre-decisional duty to assist error was found regarding the Veteran's COPD, and he needs an appropriate VA examination.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for COPD as secondary to diabetes and denied increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy conditions, while dismissing claims related to upper extremity neuropathy.
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