The veteran's death was determined to be the result of a heart attack due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which could have been avoided if proper diagnosis and treatment had been provided.
The deciding factor: VA failed to diagnose and treat the preexisting condition (arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease) properly, leading to the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Myocardial infarction, Arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- March 27, 2003
- Citation
- 0305780
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,500 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0305780.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his myocardial infarction and COPD to his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarction, status post stent placement, as well as obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his coronary artery disease prior to February 7, 2018 was denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent. Since February 7, 2018, the Veteran's CAD has been rated at 60 percent due to symptoms such as dyspnea, fatigue, and angina with a METs level greater than 3 but less than 5.
- Denied
The Veteran's myocardial infarction is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted.
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