The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by his service-connected right elbow disability, which contributed substantially and materially to his demise. The Board granted service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The severe infection in the veteran's right elbow, a service-connected condition, led to complications such as pseudomembranous colitis and prolonged hospitalization, which ultimately caused the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a shell fragment wound of the right elbow, varicose veins of the left thigh and leg
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- December 23, 2002
- Citation
- 0218643
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 0218643.
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 Veteran's varicose veins of the left thigh and leg are not manifest by persistent edema, stasis pigmentation or eczema with or without intermittent ulceration. Therefore, he is not entitled to a disability rating in excess of 20 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected residuals of shell fragment wounds to the right thigh and elbow are being remanded for additional examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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