The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected Generalized Anxiety Disorder contributed to his malnutrition, which in turn caused his death from sepsis due to bilateral pneumonia as a consequence of COPD.
The deciding factor: Medical opinions indicated both that the veteran's anxiety disorder contributed to his malnutrition and therefore his death, and that it did not contribute to his death. The Board found these opinions equally credible.
- Claimed conditions
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Malnutrition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- January 13, 2004
- Citation
- 0401217
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 0401217.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, as well as presumptive service connection for basal cell carcinoma under the PACT Act. Service connection was denied for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, left restless leg syndrome, an increased rating for psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a left forehead surgical scar, and allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for additional development, including obtaining a new examination and further developing evidence related to toxic exposure during service.
- Granted
The Board granted a staged disability rating of 70 percent for the service-connected generalized anxiety disorder from January 8, 2024, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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