The veteran died of a heart attack, and his cardiovascular disease was not service-connected. The claim for dependency and indemnity compensation benefits under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 is denied.
The deciding factor: The veteran's death was due to a heart attack with no service-connected disabilities at the time of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- heart attack, cardiovascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 3, 2003
- Citation
- 0322612
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 0322612.
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 hypertension and tinnitus, but denied service connection for depression, chronic ear infections, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), acne, arthritis, heart attack, thyroid disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, catarrhal fever (common cold), foot disability, ventral hernia, dental disability, and a rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder with bipolar spectrum disorder prior to January 3, 2025.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a heart condition to afford the Veteran an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of his heart condition, considering potential toxic exposure during service in Southwest Asia.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for all the conditions claimed by the Veteran, as there was no competent medical evidence of a current disability during the appeal period.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for non-obstructive coronary artery disease and denied service connection for a heart attack and valvular heart disease.
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