The Board finds that the Veteran's cause of death, an abdominal aortic aneurysm due to diffuse cardiovascular disease (for 20 years), was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected pleural tuberculosis. The VA medical opinions provided strong evidence against this theory.
The deciding factor: VA medical opinions found no causal relationship between the Veteran's service-connected pleural tuberculosis and his fatal abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture, based on biomechanical principles and lack of supporting evidence in the record.
- Claimed conditions
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Diffuse Cardiovascular Disease (for 20 years), Pleural Tuberculosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 20, 2017
- Citation
- 1741026
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 1741026.
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 Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea secondary to posttraumatic stress disorder and abdominal aortic aneurysm on a direct basis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's abdominal aortic aneurysm, finding that there is no evidence to support a relationship between his current condition and his military service or any service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA remand instructions were not followed and thus the claims for service connection are being returned to the AOJ for further action.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between his current disabilities and his military service. The Veteran is asked to provide additional medical research supporting his claims.
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