The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and entitlement to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, as there was no evidence that a service-related disability caused or contributed substantially to the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that any service-connected condition caused or significantly contributed to the veteran's death from ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, as there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to the veteran's military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease, Diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 10, 2008
- Citation
- 0811930
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings of ischemic heart disease and diabetes, and these claims are dismissed.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding no evidence that his death was related to any injury or disease in service, including exposure to herbicide agents.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
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