The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his death, and thus the claim for service connection for the cause of death is well-grounded.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence supports the conclusion that the veteran's service-connected disabilities hastened his death by causing immobilization, poor pulmonary toilet, recurrent infections, chronic pain, and nutritional issues.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Degenerative joint disease (DDJ), DDD, of the cervical spine, Ischiorectal abscess, Hemorrhoid tags, Mild stricture of the rectum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- February 28, 2000
- Citation
- 0005150
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0005150.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine as secondary to service-connected impairment of the left knee with arthritis and impairment of the right knee with arthritis.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, radiculopathy impacting both lower extremities on a secondary basis to the back disability, and right knee degenerative arthritis.
- Denied
The Board denied an increased rating greater than 20 percent for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and scoliosis of the thoracic spine.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a cervical spine disability and lumbar spine disability as further development is needed to obtain an adequate medical opinion.
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