The Board denied the appellant's claims for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, based on claims that there was clear and unmistakable error in RO rating decisions dated in December 1971, April 1973, and June 1974.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that a service-connected disability caused or contributed to the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatic fever, aortic valve replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2010
- Citation
- 1038135
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 1038135.
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 Board remands the claims for service connection for non-rheumatic aortic valve stenosis and aortic valve replacement due to missing treatment records and the need for an opinion on the relationship between these conditions and in-service toxic exposure.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection for several conditions, including low back disability and diabetes mellitus, type II, were granted. The claim for rheumatic fever was remanded.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for aortic valve replacement since December 21, 2021 was granted. The claim for a compensable rating for the midline chest scar was denied. Other issues were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the appeal for further development due to new evidence added since the April 2024 supplemental statement of the case and consideration of both the former and revised versions of the rating criteria.
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