The Board determined that the veteran's heart disease and prostate cancer were not related to service, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence of heart disease in service or within one year after discharge, and there was no post-service diagnosis until 1990. Prostate cancer was also not shown during service and is unrelated to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Prostate Cancer, Heart Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 27, 2004
- Citation
- 0413689
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (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 0413689.
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 hypertension and prostate cancer residuals (voiding dysfunction) have been granted increased ratings of 10 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran is granted SMC at the rate of 50% for his service-connected conditions from April 20, 2020 to June 7, 2021.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grants were denied as they did not meet the criteria for assistance in acquiring such benefits due to lack of qualifying service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation of his depressive disorder and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is denied as the November 2024 rating decision was not adjudicating previously pursued claims.
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.