The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for the cause of death, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151, and Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35 of Title 38, United States Code.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran's myocardial infarction was not caused by or aggravated by a service-connected disability, nor did it find any other service-connected condition to be the immediate or underlying cause of death. The cardiovascular disease was not shown to have been incurred in service and is not presumed due to military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Coronary Artery Disease, Myocardial Infarction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2004
- Citation
- 0408361
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,500 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0408361.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective March 2, 2018, due to his service-connected disabilities including PTSD and other conditions. The decision also noted that the Veteran is currently self-employed as a truck driver.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for SMC in excess of SMC(n) based on his service-connected conditions and additional disabilities, as well as his need for aid and attendance. The appeal was dismissed.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a heart disability and hypertension due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors. The AOJ is required to obtain addendum medical opinions regarding toxic exposure risk activities (TERA).
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there is no competent evidence to suggest that PTSD contributed to his passing.
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