The Board has denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between any condition and his death.
The deciding factor: The VHA specialist opinion concluded that the heart disease leading to the Veteran’s death was not likely related to service or the Asian flu he contracted during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart failure, Coronary arteriosclerosis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19166819
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,726 · Granted: 19% (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 19166819.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during service, but not in proximity to the Korean DMZ. However, the Veteran's statements and other evidence support his claim of exposure near the DMZ. The Board will now seek a medical opinion regarding whether any of his heart conditions are related to this exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate evaluation by the Centralized Eligibility and Appeals Team (CEAT) regarding the Veteran's eligibility for PCAFC enrollment. The CEAT did not provide a thorough explanation of why the Veteran does not meet the criteria for personal care services, which is necessary for eligibility.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, arthritis of the cervical spine, cervical radiculopathy of the left arm, back disability, left elbow condition, left shoulder condition, left wrist condition, left hand condition, hypertension, and an initial rating of 10 percent for coronary arteriosclerosis prior to September 24, 2024.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for heart failure and obstructive sleep apnea, finding no current disability in both cases.
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