The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there is no evidence to support or suggest that any of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or contributed to his death in any way.
The deciding factor: The VA obtained multiple opinions and reviewed medical literature, concluding that none of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities were the primary or contributory cause of his death. The Board found the most probative opinion against the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic left maxillary sinusitis, Mood disorder with depression, Lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease, Degenerative joint disease of the left ankle, Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Hemoperitoneum sequela, Mesenteric hematoma, Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with congestive heart failure sequela
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2021
- Citation
- 21069263
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 21069263.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
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