The Veteran's cause of death was not related to any injury or disease incurred during his service, including exposure to asbestos or radiation.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the Veteran’s fatal heart and lung conditions to service, including exposure to asbestos or radiation.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive heart failure, ST-elevation myocardial infarction, Coronary artery disease, Aortic stenosis, Acute on chronic renal failure, Prostate cancer, Atrial fibrillation
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19104132
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 880 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19104132.
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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- 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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