The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death was not related to his service-connected disabilities, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death. Additionally, the requirements for entitlement to DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 have not been met.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not establish that a service-connected disability caused or contributed substantially or materially to cause the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Myocardial infarction due to coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 21, 2005
- Citation
- 0516788
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 0516788.
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: Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by myocardial infarction due to coronary artery disease, which is presumed related to herbicide exposure. The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and denied DIC benefits.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's fatal myocardial infarction was caused by his service-connected COPD, and therefore grants service connection for the cause of death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as there was no credible evidence that the Veteran was exposed to an herbicide agent while in active service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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