The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by any service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The veteran's death was due to congestive heart failure as a consequence of coronary artery disease, which were not service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive Heart Failure, Coronary Artery Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbosacral Spine, Left Sacroiliac Strain with Degenerative Disc Disease, Residuals, Shell Fragment Wound, Left Knee and Left Arm, Tinnitus, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Bilateral Otitis Media
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- August 29, 2003
- Citation
- 0321870
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 0321870.
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 depressive disorder as secondary to hypertension and tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but remanded the claim for degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
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