The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death and eligibility for Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code. The decision also noted that the veteran died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The deciding factor: The Board found no evidence of service-connected mental disorders or disabilities contributing to the cause of death, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death. Additionally, the appellant did not meet eligibility requirements for Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code.
- Claimed conditions
- Head injury, Otitis media
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2002
- Citation
- 0206406
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 0206406.
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 the claims for service connection for a facial injury, head injury, and left thumb injury as there was no evidence of current disability or functional impairment. The claims for GERD, squamous mucosa, migraine headaches, and hypertension were remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and evidence collection, as some relevant private treatment records have not been obtained.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew the appeal for all service connection claims, and the Board dismissed the case.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board granted an effective date of February 9, 2000, for the grant of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability but remanded claims for a head injury and HIV.
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