The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). The veteran's service-connected disabilities did not contribute to his death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that none of the veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or contributed to the cause of his death, which was listed as myocardial infarction causing heart failure.
- Claimed conditions
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), splenectomy, left ankle disorder, hiatal hernia, right elbow disorder, hearing loss, tinnitus, residuals of a fractured finger, left inguinal herniorrhaphy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 27, 2003
- Citation
- 0301423
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 0301423.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and denied increased ratings for right shoulder impingement syndrome, hearing loss, painful scar, patellofemoral pain syndromes of the knees, and other conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include unspecified depressive disorder with social anxiety disorder and PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
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