The Board found that the veteran's ischemic cardiomyopathy and coronary atherosclerosis did not cause his death, as there was no evidence linking these conditions to service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA physicians concluded that the veteran's vascular disease was due to standard risk factors and was neither related to nor present during his active military duty.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic cardiomyopathy, Coronary atherosclerosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 18, 2005
- Citation
- 0501438
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 0501438.
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 Board remands the claim for a TERA-specific VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's ischemic cardiomyopathy is related to his in-service exposure to toxins, including asbestos.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for coronary artery disease, ischemic cardiomyopathy, aortic aneurysm as secondary to coronary artery disease, and arrhythmia as secondary to coronary artery disease. Sleep apnea was remanded for further consideration.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between any of his fatal conditions and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the appeal to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding the evidence of record at the time of the agency of original jurisdiction's decision.
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