The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by his service-connected disabilities, including ischemic heart disease and post-traumatic encephalopathy.
The deciding factor: The medical expert opinion established a causal relationship between the veteran's service-connected conditions and his cause of death (pneumonia), which combined to produce it.
- Claimed conditions
- post-traumatic, mild, chronic encephalopathy, ischemic heart disease as a residual of beriberi, trephine burr hole scar, right parietal region, residual of shrapnel wound, left back, with metallic foreign body in the left lateral chest, peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity, residual, shrapnel wound, involving latissimus dorsi, mild, malaria
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 2, 2005
- Citation
- 0505734
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 0505734.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted the Veteran's requests to readjudicate his claims for service connection for coronary atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus type II, but has remanded the cases due to new evidence received. The claims are being remanded for toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) medical opinions regarding any possible nexus between the Veteran's claimed exposures in Camp Lejeune and his conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient detail in a previous VA medical opinion regarding whether malaria or scarlet fever during service contributed to the Veteran's death. The case must be returned for further evaluation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's gastrointestinal condition, complete hysterectomy, peripheral neuropathy in the upper and lower extremities, and skin cancer are remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to service exposure to Agent Orange.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for malaria was dismissed because the November 17, 2025 request for Board review came before the September 16, 2025 higher-level review of the same issue had been completed.
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