The Board has determined that the veteran's cause of death, aspiration pneumonia, was a result of VA treatment and compensation is granted.
The deciding factor: The OMI report concluded that the veteran's death was caused by ARDS resulting from an acute respiratory event following a CT scan procedure at Cooper Drive Division. The OMI found no negligence on the part of VA but noted deficiencies in documentation and communication.
- Claimed conditions
- ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome), aspiration pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 28, 2003
- Citation
- 0303532
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,374 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0303532.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of evidence regarding the Veteran's service in Guam or American Samoa, which could affect his presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure under the PACT Act.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have precluded him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment since March 30, 2020. The Board has granted a TDIU for this period.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that the cause was not related to active service or any incident of service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claimed conditions, including aspiration pneumonia, loss of balance, genital infection, rash and/or itching, and bladder and bowel control issues, are not considered to be caused by VA treatment or lack thereof. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were increased as a result of VA care.
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