The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death due to vascular dementia, finding that there was no causal link between his service-connected disabilities and his death.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided opinions concluding that the Veteran’s vascular dementia did not have its onset in service or is otherwise related to any of his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Vascular dementia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19139703
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,569 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19139703.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, cerebrovascular disease and vascular dementia, was found to be caused in part by his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and incomplete medical history. The Veteran's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is being reviewed, along with its secondary effects on stroke disability, vascular dementia, and peripheral neuropathy.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and for hypothyroidism due to a lack of adequate medical opinions. The Veteran died from vascular dementia, which may or may not be related to his toxic exposure risk activity at Camp Lejeune.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was due to vascular dementia, which may have been caused by Agent Orange exposure. The Board finds that additional development is needed to determine the cause of strokes and hypertension.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.