The veteran died due to a severe concussion resulting from a motor vehicle accident. The Board found that the cause of death was his own willful misconduct, as evidenced by his high blood alcohol content at the time of the accident.
The deciding factor: The veteran's death was ruled to be caused by his own willful misconduct based on evidence including his history of alcohol abuse and toxicology report showing a blood alcohol level above legal limits.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, Residuals of a left total knee arthroplasty, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Synovitis, posttraumatic with recurrent subluxation, Residuals of left facial paralysis, Residuals, subtotal rhinoplasty
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 1, 2001
- Citation
- 0125740
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 0125740.
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 service connection for Meniere's disease, to include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), secondary to tinnitus and dismissed the claims for a left knee disability, right knee disability, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for left knee limited flexion and a 20 percent evaluation for left knee instability, but denied an increased rating for PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for increased initial evaluations of degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, left shoulder strain with degenerative arthritis, and right shoulder degenerative arthritis due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection for congestive heart failure and PTSD, granted a TDIU due to service-connected PTSD, and granted special monthly compensation based on housebound criteria.
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