The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that cardiovascular disease was not incurred in or aggravated by service and did not contribute to his death.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that schizophrenia did not render the veteran materially less able to resist the fatal disease process and found no evidence linking the cause of death to service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Myocardial ischemia, Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 16, 2005
- Citation
- 0530925
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 0530925.
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 cardiopulmonary arrest due to heart disorders, with significant contributing causes including diabetes and angioplasty. The Board found that the Veteran's PTSD contributed substantially to his heart conditions, leading to a grant of service connection for the cause of death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange in Da Nang, Vietnam. The VA will need to verify this information and then obtain a medical opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the exposure could have resulted in the cause of death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease is remanded due to the need for additional medical records, particularly from non-VA facilities.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, ischemic heart disease, is presumed to be related to service due to exposure to herbicide agents (including Agent Orange) during his active duty. As a result, the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death is granted.
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