The Board determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and therefore denied his claim for service connection for the cause of his death.
The deciding factor: A VA medical examiner concluded that the Veteran's severe coronary atherosclerosis with prior myocardial infarction did not manifest in service or be otherwise etiologically related to service. The examiner also determined there was no evidence of hypertension in service, and the Veteran had a strong genetic predisposition to heart disease.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary sclerosis, hypertensive arteriosclerotic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 30, 2013
- Citation
- 1331571
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 1331571.
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).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal is dismissed as his freestanding claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for heart disease has no legal merit. The Board also denied a higher disability rating for his service-connected heart disease.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination to determine his need for aid and attendance or housebound benefits. The referred issues of service connection will also be addressed.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a reopening of the claim.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and a medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death.
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