The Board has determined that the veteran's cause of death was not caused or significantly contributed to by his service-connected pulmonary tuberculosis, and therefore, he is denied service connection for the cause of death. The appellant is also not eligible for a nonservice-connected death pension based on the veteran's recognized active service. There is no legal entitlement to accrued benefits as there were no pending claims at the time of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a finding that the veteran's pulmonary tuberculosis caused or significantly contributed to his cause of death, which was congestive heart failure and ischemic cardiomyopathy. The VA physician's opinion in November 2002 concluded that the pulmonary tuberculosis did not contribute to the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive heart failure, Ischemic cardiomyopathy, Ileus (bowel obstruction), Massive ascites, Minimal hydrothorax, Minimal pulmonary tuberculosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 6, 2006
- Citation
- 0616423
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 0616423.
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
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 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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for congestive heart failure was dismissed as the benefit sought on appeal has been granted.
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