The Veteran's death was caused by his heart disabilities, but the Board found that these conditions were not related to service and denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the Veteran's heart disabilities to service or any other condition that could be considered a contributory cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive heart failure, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 29, 2022
- Citation
- 22071959
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 22071959.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of death and its relation to service. The Veteran's atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and colon cancer are being evaluated for their relationship to toxic exposure during service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for myocardial infarction, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and coronary artery disease was dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his claim.
- Granted
The Veteran's atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was granted an initial 60 percent disability rating from February 23, 2023 to February 19, 2024. The appeal is denied for ratings in excess of 60 percent and entitlement to TDIU and SMC.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's TDIU claim for the period from February 27, 2020 is dismissed as moot because he has a combined 100% disability rating and does not meet the criteria for Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) due to being permanently housebound.
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