The Board denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings and special monthly compensation based on need of regular aid and attendance or on account of being housebound, as well as DIC under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 due to lack of evidence showing that the veteran's death was caused by his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found no evidence linking the cause of the veteran's death (cardiorespiratory arrest with antecedent cerebrovascular accident) to his service-connected left thigh disability and sciatic nerve injury, or indicating that these conditions materially contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- residual shrapnel wound, left thigh, injury to Muscle Group (MG) XIII, fracture of the femur, infected scar, sciatic nerve injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- March 30, 2000
- Citation
- 0008541
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 0008541.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for the Veteran's migraine headaches based on prostrating attacks occurring more than once a month and severe economic inadaptability.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of his left foot, as there was no evidence showing that the service-connected conditions resulted in functional limitation equal to that of amputation of the left foot with prosthesis.
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