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.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorder (Major Depressive Disorder) aggravated his cardiovascular conditions, leading to his sudden cardiac death due to CHF and CAD with unstable angina.
- Claimed conditions
- Meniere’s syndrome, CHF (Congestive Heart Failure), CAD (Coronary Artery Disease), Unstable angina, Severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Severe pulmonary hypertension, Type II diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer’s dementia, Chronic dysphagia, Anemia, Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), Hypothyroidism, Deep vein thrombosis with pulmonary embolism
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- October 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20067297
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder.
- Denied
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- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that Type II diabetes mellitus and hypertension, which are presumed to have resulted from herbicide exposure during service, contributed substantially to his demise.
- Partly granted
The appeal was denied for service connection of a cervical spine disorder, and several claims were remanded for further development.
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