The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his coronary artery disease (CAD) was not a principal or contributory cause of his death. The evidence did not establish a diagnosis of CAD prior to his death.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence established that the Veteran did not have a diagnosis of CAD or IHD prior to his death, and therefore it could not be determined as the principal or contributory cause of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- CAD (Coronary Artery Disease)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20004152
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to July 2, 2019. The Board denied the claim for TDIU on schedular and extraschedular bases.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of special monthly compensation (SMC) under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) and 38 C.F.R. § 3.350(i), as the Veteran did not meet the criteria for SMC based on his service-connected disabilities prior to October 4, 2011.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected disabilities, specifically Meniere’s syndrome and the cardiovascular conditions he had. The Board found that these conditions aggravated his heart issues and contributed to his cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's CAD and diabetes contributed to his cause of death, cerebrovascular disease. The VA is instructed to obtain all outstanding medical records and provide a medical opinion on this issue.
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