The veteran died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm and cardiac arrest. The Board found that his service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder did not contribute substantially or materially to his death, thus denying service connection for the cause of death. His eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35 was also denied as he had no other service-connected disability rated as permanently and totally disabling.
The deciding factor: The VA physician's opinion held more probative weight than Dr. Hauser's in determining that the veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability did not contribute substantially or materially to his death due to a ruptured aortic aneurysm caused by hypertension, which was related to his smoking and elevated cholesterol.
- Claimed conditions
- ruptured aortic aneurysm, cardiac arrest
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- December 20, 2005
- Citation
- 0534373
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 0534373.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence showing a link between any service-connected disability and the Veteran's death. The conditions listed on his death certificate were not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's death due to cardiac arrest and atherosclerotic heart disease was not related or attributable to his military service, thus denying the claim for service connection for cause of death.
- Granted
The Veteran's ambulance expenses for fainting on March 22, 2022 and cardiac arrest on September 6, 2022 are granted.,VA facilities were not feasibly available during the medical emergencies.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, including hypertension and diabetes mellitus type II, are presumed to be related to his service in the Republic of Vietnam. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions.
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