The Board found that the veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute to his death, and there was no evidence of VA medical care contributing to his death.
The deciding factor: The independent medical expert concluded that the veteran's death was due to hyperosmolar coma caused by dehydration in the face of hypoglycemia, rather than from any service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- compound, comminuted, complete fracture of the body of the 3rd lumbar vertebra, residual fracture of the 3rd lumbar vertebra body with retained shell fragment, neurogenic bowel, neurogenic bladder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 31, 2001
- Citation
- 0119693
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 0119693.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for neurogenic bowel and remanded the issue of entitlement to a higher initial rating.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a neurogenic bladder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar strain.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several conditions effective April 16, 2007, but no earlier, and denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for constipation. SMC based on the need for aid and attendance was granted from August 30, 2013.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for neurogenic bladder to obtain a more adequate medical opinion regarding whether it is proximately due to or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain and intervertebral disc syndrome.
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