The veteran's death was due to pneumonia, cerebral vascular accident with left hemiplegia, and Parkinson's disease. The service-connected back disability did not cause or contribute substantially or materially to the cause of death. Therefore, service connection for the cause of death is denied. Dependents' Educational Assistance benefits are also denied.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected back disability was not found to be an immediate or contributory cause of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- post-traumatic arthritis of the lumbosacral spine with sciatic neuritis, low back pain, psychophysiologic musculoskeletal reaction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 24, 2003
- Citation
- 0305522
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,325 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0305522.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The claim for service connection of a low back disability was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The claim is denied as there is no evidence that the current condition is related to service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, and low back pain due to potential errors in duty to assist. The AOJ is required to verify the Veteran's alleged exposure to herbicide agents and obtain private treatment records.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted an effective date of February 26, 2011 for the award of service connection for low back pain with left sacroiliac dysfunction based on new evidence received after a final denial.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome and low back pain, finding that there is no evidence of a chronic disease or injury in service or within one year after separation from service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.