The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for cause of death. The appellant did not provide sufficient medical evidence to support her belief that the Veteran's PTSD contributed to his arteriosclerotic heart disease or insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The Board found no direct service connection between the Veteran's service-connected conditions and his death, as well as insufficient medical evidence linking his PTSD to his cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Arteriosclerotic heart disease, Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 20, 2009
- Citation
- 0939738
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0939738.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease is rated at 100% effective October 25, 2024. His prostate cancer residuals are rated at 60% effective October 25, 2024.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance travel expenses incurred on June 17, 2025 due to an emergency heart attack. The ambulance service was provided by a volunteer organization and later intercepted by a higher-tier EMT company.
- Granted
The Board has granted a TDIU effective June 10, 2020 and an SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ effective June 10, 2021. The Veteran's service-connected conditions have prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since June 10, 2020.
- Granted
The Veteran's bladder cancer residuals, hypothyroidism, and arteriosclerotic heart disease have been granted service connection. The Veteran is rated at a 40% for his bladder cancer residuals.
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