The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and did not grant an earlier effective date for TDIU (for accrued benefits purposes). The Board found that there was no evidence to establish a nexus between any of the veteran's service-connected disabilities or other incidents of his active service and his cause of death.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there is no objective medical evidence to establish a link between the veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative disc disease, sinusitis with rhinitis, and conjunctivitis, and his cause of death from cardiogenic shock due to dysrhythmia. The Board also found that the veteran did not have any other service-connected disability at the time of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease, L3-4, degenerative disc disease, L5-S1, sinusitis with rhinitis, conjunctivitis, bilateral
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 24, 2004
- Citation
- 0416561
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (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 0416561.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's request for additional VR&E equipment purchases and other services under a program of independent living services, including a riding lawnmower, power tools, attending school far from home, childcare, and a vehicle, was denied due to the severity of his service-connected disabilities. The Board has ordered further development to address these issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an initial compensable rating for sinusitis with rhinitis due to missing medical records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 30 percent, prior to April 16, 2019, and in excess of 50 percent thereafter, for bilateral plantar fasciitis with pes planus with scar; a rating in excess of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease thoracic back strain; a rating in excess of 30 percent for migraine headaches; a rating in excess of 30 percent for sinusitis with rhinitis; and service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for sinusitis with rhinitis and remanded the claim for an increased rating for asthma due to inadequate examination.
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