The Veteran's death was caused by acute congestive heart failure, which is service-connected. The Board found that the Veteran’s bilateral leg disabilities contributed to his death from heart disease and granted service connection for cause of death. However, he did not meet the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's death was caused by acute congestive heart failure which is service-connected. The Board found that his bilateral leg disabilities contributed to his death from heart disease and granted service connection for cause of death. However, he did not meet the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of use of both feet, Atrial fibrillation, Lumbar spine arthritis, Residuals of a left clavicle fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19175587
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for congestive heart failure with implanted pacemaker, bradycardia, valvular heart disease, and atrial fibrillation, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death due to a lack of adequate medical evidence regarding the potential nexus between atrial fibrillation and in-service exposure, as well as other service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder, obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD, atrial fibrillation as secondary to hypertension, and congestive heart failure with cardiomyopathy and ventricular hypertrophy as secondary to hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board of Veterans' Appeals remands the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a recurrent sleep disability to include obstructive sleep apnea, and ratings for atrial fibrillation and a right groin scar due to unverified periods of active duty with the Florida Air National Guard.
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