The Board denied the appellant's claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that the veteran did not meet the criteria as his death was not caused by his own willful misconduct and he did not have a continuous total rating for compensation purposes for more than 10 years immediately preceding his death.
The deciding factor: The appellant's claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 is denied as the veteran did not meet the criteria of having a continuous total rating for compensation purposes for 10 or more years immediately preceding his death.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive reaction with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), otitis media
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2003
- Citation
- 0321059
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 0321059.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, otitis media, and a skin disability as there was no evidence to support that these conditions were related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea, mood disorder with depressive and anxious features, benign growth of the spinal cord with spondylosis and anterolisthesis, residuals of right ankle sprain with traumatic arthritis, and otitis media, have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a total disability based on individual unemployability, special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance, SMC based on housebound status, and service connection for vertigo.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an ear disability, diagnosed as otitis media, Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), and mastoiditis, but denied service connection for a psychiatric disability.
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