The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence linking his sudden cardiac death, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus to his service or service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided probative opinions establishing that none of the principal or contributory causes of death were etiologically related to the service-connected bilateral foot residuals of cold weather injury.
- Claimed conditions
- atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25042931
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.
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- Dismissed
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- Denied
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- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
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