The Board found that the cause of death, cardio-respiratory failure due to a cerebral vascular accident, was not caused by or substantially contributed to by any service-connected disability. The appellant's allegations regarding POW-related disabilities were insufficient to establish service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: There is no direct evidence linking ischemic heart disease and malaria to active duty service, nor are there sufficient post-service medical records to support presumptive service connection based on the veteran's status as a former prisoner of war (POW).
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic Heart Disease, Malaria
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2004
- Citation
- 0406056
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,500 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0406056.
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 Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease was granted a 30% disability rating effective August 31, 2010. The condition manifested as cardiac hypertrophy and a workload of greater than 5.0 but less than 7.0 METs without congestive heart failure or LVEF of 50 percent or less.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted higher levels of SMC and aid and attendance special monthly compensation effective May 3, 2024, due to his service-connected conditions that require regular aid and assistance.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for malaria, tinnitus, and bilateral foot disability due to a lack of current disabilities and insufficient evidence linking these conditions to service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.