The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, concluding that no service-connected disability contributed to his death.
The deciding factor: Heart disease and bone marrow cancer were not present during service or within one year after service, and there is no evidence linking these conditions to service.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis, status post tonsillectomy, cardiac arrhythmia, arteriosclerotic heart disease, bone marrow cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2004
- Citation
- 0428622
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 0428622.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis disability rating is being remanded for additional development due to significant weight loss and anemia.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and hepatic steatosis have been denied. The claim for rheumatoid arthritis is being remanded.,Service connection has not been established for the claimed conditions.
- Partly granted
Service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome is granted.,Service connection for hypertension is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset in service or as a result of a disease or injury in active service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected arteriosclerotic heart disease is rated at 60% and has rendered him unemployable from February 17, 2023 to July 24, 2023. The Board also granted a special monthly compensation based on the housebound criteria.
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