The veteran's service-connected muscular atrophy of both hands contributed to his death, which was caused by aspiration. The medical evidence supports the conclusion that this disability substantially or materially contributed to cause and hasten the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected muscular atrophy of both hands aggravated his end-stage Parkinson's disease, contributing to his death from aspiration.
- Claimed conditions
- muscular atrophy of both hands, end stage Parkinson's disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- May 18, 2004
- Citation
- 0412871
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,699 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0412871.
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
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The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to his exposure to herbicides during service, presumptively connecting his Parkinson's disease to his in-service exposure.
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- Denied
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