The Veteran's death was not related to service-connected conditions, and the claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is denied.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing that the cause of the Veteran's death (atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease) originated in or was aggravated by service.
- Claimed conditions
- atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 25, 2021
- Citation
- 21032072
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 21032072.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease was caused by his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as there was no evidence that a disability incurred in or aggravated by service caused or contributed substantially to his death.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused or contributed to by service-connected disabilities, and therefore his cause of death is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that further evidence is needed to determine if the Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected conditions or if he had an acquired psychiatric disability, such as PTSD, which may have contributed to his alcoholism and cardiovascular disease.
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