The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death under the PACT Act and denied DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.
The deciding factor: The weight of evidence established that the Veteran had coronary artery disease, which was presumptively related to his in-service herbicide-agent exposure, and caused his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- January 9, 2024
- Citation
- 24001484
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as none of the listed causes were related to his period of active duty or presumed exposure to herbicides.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including thoracolumbar spine disability, bilateral knee and hip disabilities, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, COPD, and denied an initial rating higher than 50 percent for MDD with GAD.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2, a heart condition as secondary to hypertension, and lower extremity vascular disability as secondary to diabetes mellitus type 2. The claims for peripheral neuropathy in all four extremities and amputation of toes were also granted as secondary to diabetes mellitus type 2. However, the claims for a neck condition, COPD, gall bladder removal, and chronic kidney disease were denied.
- Dismissed
The appeal is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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