The Board denied the claim for increased burial benefits based on service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, as there was no evidence linking the veteran's cause of death to his active service or a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: There is no etiological link between the veteran's cause of death and his active service. The medical evidence does not support any causal connection between the veteran's service-connected varicose veins and his death, nor does it establish that his psychiatric condition or other service-connected disabilities contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Polypharmacy including cocaine, meprobamate, and carisoprodol, Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, Cardiomegaly, Hepatomegaly, Splenomegaly, Pulmonary edema
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2009
- Citation
- 0903433
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 684 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0903433.
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 Board has remanded the case due to the need for further development regarding toxic exposures and a VA examination.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's heart conditions and PTSD were rated at their highest levels (100% for heart conditions, 70% for PTSD) effective December 11, 2019. Additionally, the Veteran was granted benefits related to his disabilities.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for hypertension (HTN) and has remanded the issues of service connection for cardiomegaly and hypertensive heart disease.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted an effective date of January 9, 2018 for the award of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) based on the cause of death due to acute myocardial infarction. The decision is final as it relates back to the date entitlement arose.
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.