The Veteran's death was not service-connected for burial purposes due to the absence of a service-connected disability at the time of his death. The claim for accrued benefits was also denied as there were no pending claims or unpaid benefits at the time of his death.
The deciding factor: There was no service connection for any condition that could be considered the cause of death, and no pending claims or unpaid benefits existed at the time of the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary Embolism, Ischemic Heart Disease, Cancer of the Rectum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19186335
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 service connection for diabetes, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and neuropathy of the right and left upper and lower extremities as secondary to diabetes due to herbicide exposure during the Veteran's service in Okinawa.
- Granted
Service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, due to ischemic heart disease and coronary heart disease, is granted based on presumed exposure to herbicides during service at U-Tapao RTAFB in Thailand.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues for further evidentiary development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling new examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, and peripheral neuropathy of both upper and lower extremities due to further development needed.
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