The veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, but the appellant is eligible for DIC benefits due to her husband being in receipt of or entitled to receive compensation for a service-connected disability that was continuously rated totally disabling for more than ten years immediately preceding his death.
The deciding factor: The veteran had severe knee and leg disabilities that rendered him unable to work. His total disability ratings were granted, but not prior to September 1989. The appellant's hypothetical entitlement to a total rating is established as far back as March 1984.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Diabetes, Myocardial Infarction (MI)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2003
- Citation
- 0309080
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,613 · Granted: 30% (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 0309080.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
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