The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his causes of death to his military service. The Board concluded that the Veteran did not have any service-connected disabilities and that none of his conditions were related to asbestos exposure in service.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence failed to establish a link between the Veteran's causes of death (including congestive heart failure, congestive cardiomyopathy, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral vascular disease) and his military service or any service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive heart failure, Congestive cardiomyopathy, Diabetes mellitus, Peripheral vascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2018
- Citation
- 18107714
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 18107714.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance travel expenses incurred on June 17, 2025 due to an emergency heart attack. The ambulance service was provided by a volunteer organization and later intercepted by a higher-tier EMT company.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there is no competent evidence linking any principal or contributory cause of his death to his service.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted SMC at the (r)(1) rate due to his service-connected major depressive disorder and congestive heart failure, which require regular aid and attendance.
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