The Veteran's cause of death was not related to his service-connected conditions, including the presumptively service-connected coronary artery disease due to herbicide exposure. The Board determined that none of his service-connected disabilities contributed substantially or materially to his death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support a causal link between any of the Veteran's service-connected conditions and his cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Impingement of the lateral malleolus on the calcareous, right ankle, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Bilateral pes planus, Tinnitus, Hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- October 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19177969
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.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates of November 5, 2021, for the grants of service connection and eligibility for DEA benefits.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor and finding that his PTSD is related to an in-service military sexual trauma (MST) during a period of ACDUTRA.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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