The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death, acute respiratory failure secondary to aspiration pneumonia, is not related to his service-connected condition (rheumatic heart disease). The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the veteran's cause of death was incurred or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing a causal relationship between the veteran's service-connected rheumatic heart disease and his fatal acute respiratory failure secondary to aspiration pneumonia.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute respiratory failure, Aspiration pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2006
- Citation
- 0609398
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
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- Remanded (sent back)
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