The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death, bowel infarction, is not related to his service or a service-connected disability. The opinions from VA physicians concluded that hypertension and its complications did not contribute substantially or materially to the Veteran's aortic stenosis or other conditions leading to his death.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was no established nexus between the Veteran's service-connected hypertension, first degree AV block, and left ventricular hypertrophy and his cause of death (bowel infarction).
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, first degree AV block, left ventricular hypertrophy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2015
- Citation
- 1517537
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 1517537.
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
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- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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