The Veteran's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and torso due to a motor vehicle accident, which is not linked to his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board denied the claim as there was no evidence that the Veteran had a heart disorder or an aortic aneurysm prior to or as a cause of his death.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's cause of death (blunt force trauma) was due to a service-connected disability, either principal or contributory.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (including generalized anxiety disorder with panic episodes and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with symptoms of chest heaviness, racing heart, and chest pains), Aortic aneurysm
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 11, 2020
- Citation
- 20011209
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 20011209.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied a separate compensable rating for an aortic aneurysm disability for accrued benefits purposes, finding that there was no objective medical evidence showing the Veteran's aortic aneurysm precluded exertion, measured five centimeters or more in diameter, was symptomatic, or required surgery or had any post-surgical symptoms or residuals at any time throughout the appeal period.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for coronary artery disease, ischemic cardiomyopathy, aortic aneurysm as secondary to coronary artery disease, and arrhythmia as secondary to coronary artery disease. Sleep apnea was remanded for further consideration.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in the September 2020 VA examination and clarification opinion, which did not address whether CAD caused or aggravated aortic aneurysm and/or aortic valve disease. The Veteran's service-connected CAD is currently rated at 10 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the appeal due to inadequate medical opinions and will require a new opinion from a physician or cardiologist.
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