The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death, ischemic cardiomyopathy, is not service-connected as it was not incurred or aggravated by active duty. The evidence does not support a finding that the veteran's ischemic cardiomyopathy was caused by exposure to herbicide agents during his military service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion did not find any direct link between the veteran's ischemic cardiomyopathy and his military service, including potential Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- ischemic cardiomyopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2008
- Citation
- 0803709
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 0803709.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, and requests medical opinions on the etiology of his coronary artery disease, GERD with dyspepsia, and upper respiratory infection.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty-to-assist error regarding the Veteran's exposure to asbestos and Agent Orange during service. The claims are now pending for further development.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's ischemic cardiomyopathy was granted service connection as it met the definition of ischemic heart disease (IHD) listed in VA regulations, and he had this condition at the time his application for benefits was filed.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to active military service and exposure to toxins.
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