The veteran's cause of death was septicemia due to an infected wound in the left thigh and left arm, with diabetes as a significant condition contributing to his death. The service-connected gunshot wound to the right thigh did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.
The deciding factor: The fatal wound in the left thigh and left arm is not related to service or the service connected wound to the right thigh, and the service-connected disability did not make the veteran less able to resist the fatal wound or hasten his death.
- Claimed conditions
- septicemia, diabetes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 11, 2003
- Citation
- 0304369
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 0304369.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for dermatochalasis, meibomian gland dysfunction, and blepharitis. The claims for lumbosacral strain, left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), right shoulder tendinopathy, diabetes, and prostate cancer with urinary incontinence status-post prostatectomy were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for panic disorder, but remanded the claims for right knee disability, left knee disability, and diabetes.
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