The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence linking his cardiovascular heart disease, congestive heart failure, or diabetes to his military service.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence is against a finding that the Veteran had an in-service disease or injury resulting in disability that led to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiovascular heart disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 5, 2021
- Citation
- 21061868
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a heart condition to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA clinician regarding whether the Veteran's current heart condition is related to service, including in-service treatment for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.