The Board denied the appellant's claim for dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not materially contribute to his death.
The deciding factor: The veteran's fatal heart disease with chronic renal insufficiency was not causally related to or aggravated by his service-connected arthritis and did not materially accelerate his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute myocardial infarction, Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, Chronic renal insufficiency
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2003
- Citation
- 0320452
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 0320452.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran died due to an acute myocardial infarction. The Board has identified errors in the toxic exposure documentation and requests a remand for further investigation and medical opinion regarding the cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran's death was caused by an intraabdominal hemorrhage, acute myocardial infarction, and acute renal failure. The appeal is remanded to obtain a medical opinion on whether these conditions are related to in-service exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for acute myocardial infarction has been dismissed as the January 2026 VA Form 10182, which appealed the October 2025 rating decision, was received concurrently with a supplemental claim (VA Form 20-0995).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to acute myocardial infarction, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. The claims for heart disability and hypertension were also denied as they are not considered service-connected.
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