The veteran's severe arthritis, which was service-connected, substantially contributed to his death from cardiorespiratory arrest.
The deciding factor: Severe arthritis aggravated the veteran's condition and materially contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertrophic arthritis of the lumbar spine, hypertrophic arthritis of the right knee, hypertrophic arthritis of the left knee, osteoarthritis of the right shoulder, rheumatoid arthritis of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- May 3, 2000
- Citation
- 0011653
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 0011653.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis of various body parts due to in-service exposure to hazardous materials, as an addendum opinion is needed.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for osteoarthritis of the right shoulder and a TDIU, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or entitlement to a TDIU.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an earlier effective date for residuals of a right shoulder injury with osteoarthritis was dismissed because the issue was not adjudicated in the September 2022 rating decision.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of rheumatoid arthritis of the left shoulder, right shoulder, left hip, and left knee due to his withdrawal of the appeal.
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