The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by heart disease, which is presumed to have been aggravated during his time as a prisoner of war. The Board granted service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The veteran had localized edema while in captivity and later developed ischemic heart disease, which is considered 'beriberi heart disease' under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disease, hypertensive heart disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2004
- Citation
- 0401521
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 0401521.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a heart condition to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA clinician regarding whether the Veteran's current heart condition is related to service, including in-service treatment for hypertension.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including a bilateral eye disability and cardiovascular conditions, based on the Veteran's in-service occupational exposures.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for an eye condition, hearing loss, heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes due to a regulatory duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease, heart disease, and congestive heart failure as not being related to the Veteran's active service. The Board also denied an earlier effective date for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
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