The Board is remanding the case to determine if the veteran's service-connected epilepsy and/or nicotine dependency caused or contributed to his death from heart and pulmonary diseases.
The deciding factor: The VA physicians need to provide opinions on whether the veteran had a chronic cardiovascular or pulmonary disease that was causally related to service, and whether any such condition caused or materially contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute myocardial infarction, Congestive heart failure, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 16, 2005
- Citation
- 0504145
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 0504145.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
- Partly granted
The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection for congestive heart failure and PTSD, granted a TDIU due to service-connected PTSD, and granted special monthly compensation based on housebound criteria.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a cardiovascular disability, secondary to hypertension, but denied a compensable rating and an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
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