The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding no medical evidence to support a link between the veteran's period of active service and his cause of death.
The deciding factor: There was no clinical evidence in the record linking the conditions that caused the veteran's death to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiorespiratory failure, pulmonary embolism, arteriosclerosis, phlebitis of the left lower extremity, cirrhosis, Laennec's
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2003
- Citation
- 0301750
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 0301750.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and a new opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of March 8, 2024 for the grant of service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus but denied earlier effective dates for atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. The other claims were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted the reinstatement of a 30% rating for cystic kidney disease, denied service connection for supraventricular tachycardia and old myocardial infarction, and denied initial ratings in excess of 10% for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, for purposes of entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), as further development is necessary.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.