The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between his service-connected disability and his death.
The deciding factor: The VA medical expert concluded that the Veteran's death was not caused by or a result of his military service or a service-connected disability, specifically noting that the service-connected disability did not cause congestive heart failure.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatic fever, sinus arrhythmia and tachycardia with slight hypotension caused by cardiac neurosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2014
- Citation
- 1407337
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 1407337.
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: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for several issues including earlier effective dates and increased disability ratings for heart conditions, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability. The Veteran's private treatment records are missing and need to be obtained.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hand and left ankle conditions, which may be related to rheumatic fever. The case is being remanded for further evaluation.
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