The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute to his death, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The VA physician concluded that the Veteran's hypertension and kidney disease were not significant enough to substantially contribute to heart failure, which was the immediate cause of death. The private physicians' statements linking the Veteran's service-connected disabilities to his death in particular or to his death in general are not competent evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiac failure, mantle cell lymphoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2013
- Citation
- 1339536
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 1339536.
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: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death is granted as service-connected, with the issue of DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 being dismissed due to the grant of service connection.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was not connected to his active-duty service, and therefore the claim for service connection for cause of death and entitlement to DIC is denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for mantle cell lymphoma is remanded due to the need for clarification of his condition status and severity.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
Your claim for service connection for mantle cell lymphoma has been granted, and the issue is no longer on appeal.
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