The Veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension was denied because her income exceeded the maximum annual pension rate, and she did not meet the definition of permanent and total disability due to a nonservice-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's income from Social Security and VA disability compensation exceeded the maximum annual pension rates, preventing her from qualifying for nonservice-connected pension benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- heart block, memory loss/challenges, residuals of stroke
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19181490
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,249 · Granted: 37% (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 19181490.
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 decided to remand the case due to insufficient consideration of secondary service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) related to the Veteran's service-connected foot disability and depression.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for CAD, heart block, and coronary artery bypass graft was granted with an effective date of January 9, 1998.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a more thorough examination, including METs testing, and consideration of his testimony at the Board hearing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to address the etiology of the Veteran's heart disorders, as the VA medical opinion provided was inadequate and did not consider direct service connection or secondary service connection.
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