The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, which was listed as cardiopulmonary arrest due to or as a consequence of acute myocardial infarction and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, is related to his service-connected conditions. The Board found the opinion provided by the VA provider to be probative in determining that the Veteran’s service-connected physical and mental disabilities contributed to the development of coronary artery disease.
The deciding factor: The VA provider's opinion linking the Veteran's service-connected physical and mental disabilities to the development of coronary artery disease was considered sufficient evidence to grant service connection for the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder, right knee limitation of extension, status post arthroscopy, bilateral hearing loss, left hip bursitis, tinnitus, status post partial lateral meniscectomy of the left knee, left hip bursitis with limitation of flexion
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- December 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19195221
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,084 · Granted: 20% (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 19195221.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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