The Board found that the cause of death, pneumonia, was not service-connected. The underlying condition, myocardial infarction, which occurred two weeks prior to death and contributed to the cause of death, was also not service-connected.
The deciding factor: Service-connected conditions do not contribute to death when they are static or do not affect vital organs.
- Claimed conditions
- Pneumonia, Myocardial Infarction
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 18, 2008
- Citation
- 0831937
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 0831937.
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).
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