The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 were not met.
The deciding factor: Service connection could not be established as the cause of death did not have onset during active service or manifest within one year of separation from active service.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiorespiratory arrest, advanced lung cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 24, 2009
- Citation
- 0944681
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 0944681.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was caused by cardiorespiratory arrest and metastatic esophageal cancer. The appellant is recognized as the surviving spouse, but service connection for cause of death remains pending due to insufficient information on in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's cardiorespiratory arrest to his military service or a service-connected disability.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and the Board found insufficient evidence to establish a connection between his conditions and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of sufficient VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death and whether his coronary artery disease caused or contributed to his death.
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