The Veteran's respiratory, heart failure and dementia conditions are not related to his active service. The Board found that the appellant did not provide sufficient evidence to establish a direct or secondary relationship between these conditions and his military service.
The deciding factor: The claims were denied as there was no medical evidence showing a direct or secondary relationship between the Veteran's respiratory, heart failure and dementia conditions and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Respiratory Disability, Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Dementia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 18, 2017
- Citation
- 1740340
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 1740340.
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 PTSD with cognitive impairment or dementia was rated at 50 percent from July 11, 2005 to March 4, 2021. From March 4, 2021, the Veteran's condition was rated at 100 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder and exposures at Camp LeJeune contributed to his cause of death. The VA must obtain an addendum opinion addressing these issues.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and thus denied his claim for service connection for cause of death.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an increased Level 2 stipend under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) due to his need for supervision, protection, or instruction on a continuous basis due to cognitive decline, dementia symptoms, vision deficiencies, and recurring falls.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.