The Veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected disabilities, as the cause of death (cardio-pulmonary arrest and diabetes) were not present in service or within one year after discharge. The preponderance of evidence is against a finding that these conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found no direct causal relationship between the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his fatal condition, as the cause of death was unrelated to any service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes, hypertension, low back pain, chronic lumbosacral pain syndrome, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, myocardial infarction, pulmonary edema
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- February 5, 2013
- Citation
- 1304048
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 1304048.
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
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- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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