The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, finding that his CAD and diabetes did not contribute to his death. The Board also found that there was no evidence linking his COPD, CHF, or PVD to his service.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the Veteran's presumed herbicide exposure in service did not cause or contribute to his death, as evidenced by the lack of service treatment records for respiratory conditions and the absence of a link between his diagnosed conditions and his service.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD, CHF, PVD
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20004955
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.
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The Board denied service connection for COPD, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's respiratory condition and his military service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
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The Board denied service connection for various conditions and a TDIU, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's COPD precluded him from obtaining and maintaining substantial gainful employment, warranting a Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).
- Denied
The Board denied an effective date earlier than August 10, 2022, for the grant of a 60 percent rating for sarcoidosis, asthma, chronic bronchitis, and COPD.
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