The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by or related to his service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for cause of death. The appeal is also dismissed as there are no pending claims for accrued benefits.
The deciding factor: The VA physician concluded that the veteran’s fatal heart disease was unrelated to his service-connected left foot condition and instead resulted from his nonservice-connected diabetes and hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiac arrest, paralysis of left foot, severe peripheral neuritis, hemiplegia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2003
- Citation
- 0332524
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 0332524.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of death, determining that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's fatal conditions were caused by his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's cardiac arrest and hypertension are related to his military service, specifically addressing his complaint of chest pain during service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, finding no evidence that a service-connected condition caused or contributed to the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the claims for service connection for cause of death and entitlement to DIC due to inadequate medical examination.
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