The Board finds that the cause of the Veteran's death, hypertensive cardiovascular disease, was not related to his military service or any of his service-connected disabilities. The medications he took for his service-connected injuries did not substantially contribute to his death.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion concluded that the Veteran's hypertensive cardiovascular disease was not caused by his military service and that it was more likely due to his long-standing uncontrolled hypertension and known risk factors such as age and weight gain.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertensive cardiovascular disease, Residuals of fracture of left femur and patella, Residuals of fracture of right talus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 16, 2015
- Citation
- 1511035
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1511035.
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: Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there is no evidence to support a causal relationship between the Veteran's military service and his death from gastrointestinal bleeding and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his opioid use disorder was related to his service-connected disabilities and led to his untimely death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there was not sufficient evidence to link his death to his military service or any presumptive conditions related to burn pit exposure. The Board also found no evidence linking his hypertension and cardiovascular disease to his military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasoning and lack of a medical opinion regarding the cause of death. The Veteran's cause of death was listed as cardiorespiratory arrest due to liver cancer, COPD, and ethanolism. A medical opinion is needed to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.
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