The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as due to CHF, which was secondary to service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus.
The deciding factor: The private physician's opinion provided a plausible secondary analysis linking the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus to the CHF that ultimately caused his death, by means of a connection through the outpouring of stress chemicals due to the Veteran's severe hearing loss and his tinnitus, and his difficulty sleeping at night.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 22, 2025
- Citation
- A25046016
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for COPD as secondary to diabetes and denied increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy conditions, while dismissing claims related to upper extremity neuropathy.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a higher level of special monthly compensation (SMC) as he does not meet the criteria for an increased rate based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 60 percent rating for COPD, resolving all reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
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