The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder did not cause or contribute to his death. The medical evidence does not support a causal relationship between the Veteran's PTSD and his coronary artery disease, hypertension, or other conditions leading to his death.
The deciding factor: Medical literature does not support a causal relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder and worsening of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, or other contributing factors to the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Coronary artery disease, Cerebrovascular accident, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Hypertension, Increased lipids
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 10, 2009
- Citation
- 0942894
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 0942894.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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