The Board found that the veteran's death was caused by improper and inadequate medical care during his February 1995 VA hospitalization, resulting in a grant of dependency and indemnity compensation.
The deciding factor: The VHA medical opinion concluded that although Pseudomonas was contracted prior to the February 1995 VA hospitalization, assuming the veteran was treated with Cefotetan and Erythromycin on February 22nd, this would have been inadequate antibiotic therapy since a patient with severe pneumonia, urinary tract infection, numerous hospitalizations, and antibiotic therapies would require broader antibiotic coverage. By the time Cefotetan was discontinued and replaced by an adequate antibiotic Ceftazidime, he was in septic shock and death could not have been averted.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic renal insufficiency, Urinary tract infections, Poorly-controlled hypertension, Peripheral vascular disease, Congestive heart failure, Recurrent pneumonia, Chronic pancreatitis, Left below-the-knee amputation, Right-sided cerebrovascular accident with left-sided paresis and aphasia, Myocardial infarction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 1, 2002
- Citation
- 0202019
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 0202019.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to a lack of sufficient evidence addressing all contentions.
- 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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a cardiovascular disability, secondary to hypertension, but denied a compensable rating and an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
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