The Board has determined that the appellant cannot establish basic eligibility for nonservice-connected death pension benefits due to lack of service in a qualifying period of war. The claims for service connection for cause of death and DIC benefits pursuant to 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 are being remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The appellant's spouse did not meet the service requirements necessary for basic eligibility for nonservice-connected pension benefits, as she was not a veteran who served during a qualifying period of war.
- Claimed conditions
- arrhythmia, arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2008
- Citation
- 0835431
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 0835431.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertension, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, GERD, Barrett's esophagus, and arrhythmia are remanded due to pre-decisional errors in obtaining necessary medical opinions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claims for service connection due to lack of new and relevant evidence.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error and further examination.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection of heart conditions was granted with an effective date of June 11, 2020. The claim had been continuously pursued since the receipt of a VA Form 21-0966 on that date.
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