The Board found that a service-connected disability contributed to the cause of the veteran's death, and granted service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence established that the veteran's service-connected conditions did not materially contribute to his death but were likely exacerbated by other factors such as medications he was taking.
- Claimed conditions
- gunshot wound to the right posterior chest, foreign body of L1, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, right lower extremity weakness, seizure disorder, gunshot wound of the right posterior chest with a pleural cavity injury, spastic bladder associated with the gunshot wound to the right posterior chest, shell fragment wound residuals of the right hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2004
- Citation
- 0404485
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 0404485.
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 an earlier effective date of October 1, 2021, for service connection for migraine headaches and seizure disorder but denied the same for PTSD with TBI.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral macular hemorrhage, resolving all doubt in the Veteran's favor. The claims for other disabilities were remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for cervical spine arthritis, lumbar spine arthritis, traumatic brain injury (TBI), seizure disorder, and erectile dysfunction has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the Veteran's current disability and his active military service.
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