The Board has determined that service connection is warranted for the cause of the veteran's death due to his service-connected penetrating right chest wound with retained foreign body in the chest, which contributed substantially or materially to his death.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the veteran's service-connected penetrating right chest wound with retained foreign body in the chest may have contributed to his death by causing pleural effusion, a condition listed as significant but not resulting in the underlying cause of death (congestive heart failure).
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive heart failure, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary artery disease, Chronic pleural effusion
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 30, 2003
- Citation
- 0318282
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 0318282.
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 service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative joint disease and intervertebral disc syndrome, cervical spine; cervical spine radiculopathy, right upper extremity; coronary artery disease; and right ear hearing loss.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's coronary artery disease for all periods on appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding no evidence that his death was related to any injury or disease in service, including exposure to herbicide agents.
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