The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and his surviving spouse is denied DIC benefits.
The deciding factor: Medical evidence does not support a link between the Veteran’s heart disabilities and active service or any non-service connected psychiatric conditions (PTSD or anxiety).
- Claimed conditions
- Congenitally small left anterior descending artery, Cardiomyopathy, Chronic chest pain with angina, Myocardial infarctions, Atherosclerotic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 27, 2014
- Citation
- 1423887
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 1423887.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart condition was granted with an effective date of August 1, 2019. The decision is based on evidence showing exposure to diesel and gas fuel during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart conditions may be related to his service-connected sleep apnea and/or generalized anxiety disorder, but further examination is needed to determine causation.
- Granted
The Board has restored a 60 percent disability rating for ischemic heart disease, coronary artery disease, and atherosclerotic heart disease (IHD) effective September 13, 2023. The decision concludes that the reduction in rating from 60 percent to 30 percent was not proper due to actual improvement in the Veteran's condition under ordinary conditions of life and work.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a disability incurred in or aggravated during his military service, and the Board denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of death.
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