Id
.
Mrs. Patrick filed a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) (R. at 301), the RO issued
a Statement of the Case (SOC) (R. at 319-23), and she appealed to the Board (R.
at 350).
On March 14, 1986, the Board denied service connection for the cause of
Mr. Patrick’s death. R. at 374-83. In that decision, the Board reviewed all of the
relevant evidence of record and noted that although
Mr. Patrick was seen in
service for a pulmonary problem, this represented only an acute and transitory
episode that had resolved without residual disability. R. at 380. The Board
acknowledged that
Mr. Patrick had had rheumatic heart disease in service, and
that, although this disease was not noted on his service entrance examination, it
was manifested a short time thereafter, and that “data obtained for clinical
purposes during service unequivocally established the preservice existence of the
rheumatic heart disease.” R. at 381. Moreover, the Board concluded that
examination of the clinical evidence in its entirety failed to demonstrate that his
rheumatic heart disease underwent an increase in severity during his short period
of active service.
Id
. The Board also determined that cardiovascular disease was
not present in service, or within one year after his discharge from service, and
that arteriolsclerotic heart disease was first shown many years after service. R. at
382. The Board considered the claim under the presumptions of soundness and
aggravation of a preexisting condition. R. at 381-82. The Board concluded that
no evidence of a service-connected disability causing or contributing substantially
to
Mr. Patrick’s death existed, and, thus, denied service connection for the cause
of his death.
Id
.
In September 1992,
Mrs. Patrick contended that there was CUE in the last
final denial of her DIC claim.
Id
. Following an extensive procedural history, the
Board, on May 6, 1999, issued two decisions, one finding that the March 1986
Board decision, that denied service connection for the cause of
Mr. Patrick’s
death, did not contain CUE. The 1999 Board decision recounted in detail the
veteran’s medical history, both before, during, and after service. R. at 10-16. The
Board then found that at the time of the 1986 decision “there was ample evidence
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