The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, as there was no credible evidence that the veteran's heart disease began during or soon after his service.
The deciding factor: The evidence of likely alteration and misrepresentation in the documents damages the credibility of all statements supporting the contention that the veteran had heart disease in the 1940s. The Board concludes that the preponderance of the evidentiary weight is against a finding that the veteran's heart disease began during or soon after his service.
- Claimed conditions
- congestive heart failure, atrial stenosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2008
- Citation
- 0816389
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a heart condition to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA clinician regarding whether the Veteran's current heart condition is related to service, including in-service treatment for hypertension.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence that the Veteran was exposed to herbicides during his service.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed all service connection claims due to the Veteran's death, as there is no substituted appellant for this appeal.
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