The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, as there was no medical evidence or competent opinion linking a cardiovascular disease to any incident of service and no evidence that diabetes played a causative role in his death.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence or competent opinion linking a cardiovascular disease, which is not apparent until many years post-service, to any incident of service. Additionally, the physician who amended the death certificate indicated that he would have to resort to speculation in order to determine whether diabetes played a causative role in the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, residuals of carcinoma of the prostate, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, chronic renal insufficiency, malaria, a status-post bunionectomy of the right small toe, a cyst on the right thigh, hemorrhoids
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2009
- Citation
- 0903591
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 Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Partly granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted, while fibromyalgia, internal or external hemorrhoids, bilateral hearing loss, and neuropathy are denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding it at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.
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