The Board found that the veteran's cause of death (asystolic cardiac arrest due to stroke due to hypertension) was not related to his service. The claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35 was reopened but denied as there was no permanent total disability at the time of the veteran's death or due to a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support a direct service connection for the cause of death, and the veteran did not have a permanent total service-connected disability at the time of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- asystolic cardiac arrest
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 21, 2008
- Citation
- 0824370
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 0824370.
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: Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by asystolic cardiac arrest due to cardiovascular disease, which is presumed service-connected based on his exposure to herbicides during active duty. The issue of DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is dismissed because the grant of service connection for the cause of death renders it moot.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran died of a non-service-connected cause and was not receiving VA compensation or pension benefits at the time of his death. Therefore, he is ineligible for nonservice-connected burial benefits.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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