The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, as his heart failure did not result from a service-connected disability.,The appellant is not entitled to DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 because the Veteran was not in receipt of compensation for at least 10 years prior to his death.
The deciding factor: Service connection for cause of death could not be established as the heart failure that caused the Veteran's death was not related to service-connected disabilities, and there was no evidence of a continuity of symptoms from service.,The appellant is not entitled to DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 because the Veteran did not meet one of the criteria for entitlement, specifically that he had been rated as 100% disabled for at least 10 years prior to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- end stage heart failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 23, 2023
- Citation
- 23011238
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 23011238.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was not due to a service-connected disability. The Board found that the evidence did not support service connection for his heart condition, and thus denied both service connection for the cause of death and DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension, end-stage heart failure, and chronic UTIs as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. A 70 percent rating was also granted for PTSD.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his heart conditions were related to his period of service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and thus denied his claim for service connection. However, he was eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
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