The Veteran's immediate cause of death was hypertensive and atherosclerotic heart disease. The Board found that the service-connected conditions did not contribute to his death, and there were no pending claims for accrued benefits at the time of his death.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the Veteran’s hypertension and atherosclerotic heart disease were not related or aggravated by any service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertensive and atherosclerotic heart disease, depression/adjustment disorder, degenerative arthritis of the right knee status post arthroscopic surgery, degenerative arthritis of the left knee status post arthroscopic surgery, mechanical low back pain with degenerative changes, right sciatica associated with mechanical low back pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 24, 2018
- Citation
- 18129181
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 18129181.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for right total hip joint replacement from June 12, 2024, and separate ratings for right knee instability (10 percent) and left knee instability (20 percent). All other claims were denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for painful motion of the little and ring fingers, left and right hands have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeals prior to a decision.,The Veteran's radiculopathy of the lower extremities has been granted separate disability ratings.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's death to a disease or injury incurred in or aggravated during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding service connection for the cause of death, including a lack of a VA opinion on the relationship between any diagnosed psychiatric disability and service. The Board also ordered additional medical opinions to determine if hypertension, atherosclerotic heart disease, and diabetes mellitus were related to service.
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