The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that his lung and heart disease were attributable to his use of tobacco products during service.
The deciding factor: The Board concluded that the causes of the veteran's death (myocardial infarction due to coronary artery disease) are attributable to his use of tobacco products, which started in service.
- Claimed conditions
- myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2002
- Citation
- 0216517
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 0216517.
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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- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Partly granted
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