The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of death, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.
The deciding factor: The VA medical expert opinion concluded that the Veteran’s service-connected PTSD and other conditions did not directly cause or contribute substantially or materially to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Cerebral hypoxia, Cardiac arrhythmias, Congestive heart disease due to coronary ischemic heart disease, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19192789
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 19192789.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as none of the listed causes were related to his period of active duty or presumed exposure to herbicides.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including thoracolumbar spine disability, bilateral knee and hip disabilities, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, COPD, and denied an initial rating higher than 50 percent for MDD with GAD.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2, a heart condition as secondary to hypertension, and lower extremity vascular disability as secondary to diabetes mellitus type 2. The claims for peripheral neuropathy in all four extremities and amputation of toes were also granted as secondary to diabetes mellitus type 2. However, the claims for a neck condition, COPD, gall bladder removal, and chronic kidney disease were denied.
- Dismissed
The appeal is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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