The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking any current disability to service and thus not meeting the criteria for service connection.,The claim is remanded for further development regarding the appellant's eligibility as the surviving spouse for VA death pension benefits.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran did not have a psychiatric disorder related to service, and therefore could not establish service connection for the cause of his death.,VA determined that the appellant is not the deceased Veteran’s surviving spouse for the purpose of establishing eligibility for VA death pension benefits due to her remarriage after November 1, 1990.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiac arrest, hypertensive cardiovascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19186548
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 the cause of death, determining that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's fatal conditions were caused by his military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that his hypertensive cardiovascular disease began during service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and remanded the claims for other conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's cardiac arrest and hypertension are related to his military service, specifically addressing his complaint of chest pain during service.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.