The Board found that the Veteran's death was due to arteriosclerotic heart disease, which is not service-connected. The Board determined that his service-connected cold injury residuals of bilateral feet did not cause or contribute substantially to his death.
The deciding factor: The VA cardiologist concluded that the Veteran's service-connected cold injury residuals played a minimal role in increasing his cardiac risk factors until the last years of his life, and was unlikely to have contributed substantially to his sedentary lifestyle or stress.
- Claimed conditions
- Arteriosclerotic heart and cardiovascular disease, Cold injury residuals of bilateral feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2011
- Citation
- 1147142
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1147142.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
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