The Veteran's cause of death was not related to service or a service-connected disability. The Appellant did not have any pending claims at the time of her husband's death, and she exceeded the maximum annual pension rate for a surviving spouse.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the Veteran’s cause of death (cardiac arrest, acute respiratory arrest, aspiration pneumonia) to his service or a service-connected disability. The Appellant did not have any pending claims at the time of her husband's death and exceeded the maximum annual pension rate for a surviving spouse.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, osteoarthritis, costochondritis, chest pain, vertigo
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19130781
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for vertigo and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to insufficient evidence linking his current condition to active service or any incident of service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran has costochondritis or muscle pain in the chest that is related to his service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, higher ratings, and earlier effective dates, as well as dismissed his claim for a TDIU.
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