The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The VA physician's opinion indicated that the chest pain in service was musculoskeletal rather than cardiac, and thus not related to the later diagnosed CAD which led to the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- CAD (Coronary Artery Disease), Hyperlipidemia, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2010
- Citation
- 1007299
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 1007299.
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 CAD warrants a 60 percent rating, but the Board has determined that an earlier effective date is warranted due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding direct service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of 100 percent for CAD was granted effective November 28, 2023. The effective date is based on the date of a VA examination showing the increase in disability.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance of another person or housebound status, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cause of death is being remanded due to a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the rating decision on appeal. The Board must obtain additional medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's bladder cancer, which was service-connected as a result of contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune, contributed substantially or materially to his cause of death.
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