The veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by a service-connected disability. The appellant's claim for accrued benefits is denied as it was filed more than one year after the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The cause of the veteran's death (cardio-pulmonary arrest with severe cerebral hypoxia) was not related to his active duty service, and the appellant did not file her claims within the required time frame for accrued benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- cardio-pulmonary arrest, severe cerebral hypoxia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2005
- Citation
- 0502396
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 0502396.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service in the Republic of Vietnam is presumed, and thus his exposure to herbicides is also presumed. The decision now requires a medical opinion regarding whether these exposures are related to his cause of death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, including lung cancer and cardio-pulmonary arrest, to address in-service toxic exposures.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death is remanded. The Board needs more medical opinions to determine if the Veteran's cardio-pulmonary arrest or colon cancer were due to his exposure to herbicide agents during military service or caused by his Parkinson's disease.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for further examination and medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically related to toxic chemical exposure at Fort McClellan.
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