The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death, finding that no service-connected disability caused or contributed to the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions found no evidence linking any service-connected condition to the Veteran’s death and concluded that his burn scars did not contribute to his heart disease. The appellant's opinion was considered less reliable compared to the VA physicians' findings.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive Heart Failure, Coronary Artery Disease, Atrial Fibrillation, Diabetes Mellitus, Chronic Kidney Disease, Cerebral Vascular Accident, Colon Cancer, Gout, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Hypothyroidism
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20073809
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.
- Partly granted
The appeal was denied for service connection of a cervical spine disorder, and several claims were remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and a psychiatric disability due to insufficient evidence of the severity required for higher ratings.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a higher level of special monthly compensation (SMC) as he does not meet the criteria for an increased rate based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, right hand tremors, left hand tremors, gout, and chronic kidney disease to obtain outstanding VA treatment records and provide a medical examination.
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