The Board found that the cause of the Veteran's death (asystole due to congestive heart failure) did not develop during his active service and was not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability. The Veteran had been service-connected for PTSD, but this condition was not considered the principal or contributory cause of death.
The deciding factor: The April 2009 VA examiner concluded that there was no causal connection between PTSD and heart disease in the medical literature, and thus, the Veteran's death could not be attributed to his service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- asystole (cardiac arrhythmia), congestive heart failure, ischemic cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, chronic renal failure, prostate carcinoma, mitral valve insufficiency
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0948393
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 0948393.
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.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
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