The veteran's cause of death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by a disability incurred in service, and the criteria for payment of DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 have not been met.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the veteran’s cause of death (sudden cardiac death due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease) to his active duty service, including exposure to herbicides. The presumptive regulations for Agent Orange exposure do not apply as the veteran did not serve in Vietnam during the relevant time period. Additionally, there is no evidence of a service-connected disability that may be related to the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2007
- Citation
- 0737845
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 0737845.
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 diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Veteran's Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular Aid and Attendance is granted as of April 25, 2024.,For diabetes mellitus, a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.
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