The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's service-connected PTSD to his cause of death, asphyxia due to freshwater drowning. The Board denied service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: No competent medical evidence established a relationship between the cause of the veteran's death and any service-connected disability or period of active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- asphyxia due to freshwater drowning, severe arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes mellitus, acute ethanol intoxication
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2004
- Citation
- 0410492
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 0410492.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for type II diabetes mellitus to address a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding VA not requesting private treatment records.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a cervical spine disorder and denied an earlier effective date prior to August 3, 2014, for the award of service connection for a postoperative hernia repair scar.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to service connection for type II diabetes mellitus due to a need for an additional medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and hypertension, finding that both conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.
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.