The Board found that the veteran's service-connected residuals of meningitis-neurasthenia with weakness of the right arm were not a principal or contributory cause of his death, and denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The VA physician opined that there was no evidence linking the veteran's cardiovascular disease and peripheral neuritis to his military service, and thus they did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- massive myocardial infarction, peripheral neuritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2008
- Citation
- 0812249
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 251 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0812249.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate nexus opinions regarding whether the Veteran's peripheral nerve conditions are related to his service or service-connected conditions. The AOJ is instructed to secure updated treatment records and obtain an addendum medical opinion from a different examiner.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient verification of the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicide agents and a need for a VA opinion regarding whether his death was caused by such exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and increased ratings for peripheral neuritis of the bilateral lower extremities due to insufficient reasoning in previous decisions.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including bilateral knee disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, peripheral neuritis, gout (hyperuricemia), and heart disability (biventricular hypertrophy), were not incurred or aggravated during active service. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.