The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by, or substantially or materially contributed to, a disability incurred in or aggravated by active service. The cause of death was hypoxia due to pulmonary embolism which was due to deep vein thrombosis.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence linking the Veteran's fatal conditions (hypoxia, pulmonary embolism, and deep vein thrombosis) to any incident or condition in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypoxia, Pulmonary Embolism, Deep Vein Thrombosis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 31, 2009
- Citation
- 0949054
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 0949054.
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 claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for Persistent Depressive Disorder is denied. The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for Pulmonary Embolism due to predecisional duty to assist errors.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of pulmonary embolism, finding that it is secondary to her service-connected PCOS.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's pulmonary embolism is secondary to his service-connected heart disability and grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and DIC due to the Veteran's cause of death, as well as a claim under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, for additional development.
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