The Board found that the Veteran's fatal cardiopulmonary arrest and congestive heart failure were not caused by or substantially contributed to by his service-connected PTSD.
The deciding factor: The VHA examiner opined that there was no data to suggest a causal relationship between PTSD and heart conditions, and concluded that it was unlikely that PTSD hastened the Veteran's death by aggravating his CHF.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive Heart Failure, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2010
- Citation
- 1010376
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 1010376.
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)
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- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of July 12, 2022, for a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for specially adapted housing was denied as he does not meet the criteria due to his ability to independently ambulate with the use of braces.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary fibrosis as these conditions were not related to the Veteran's service, including his exposure to Agent Orange.
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