The Board found that the veteran's fatal injuries sustained on March 5, 1997 were caused by his own willful misconduct due to operating a motorcycle recklessly while legally intoxicated. The death was not incurred in line of duty and thus denied for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits.
The deciding factor: The veteran's death resulted from his deliberate reckless operation of the motorcycle, which was proximately caused by alcohol intoxication.
- Claimed conditions
- Head injuries, Back injuries
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 13, 2000
- Citation
- 0018395
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 0018395.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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