The Board denied the appellant's claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that the veteran did not meet the criteria for total service-connected disability prior to his death.
The deciding factor: The veteran was not rated totally disabled for a continuous period of at least 10 years prior to death or at least 5 years from the date of separation from active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- Marie-Strumpell ankylosing spondylitis, chronic bilateral conjunctivitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 4, 2005
- Citation
- 0506210
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 0506210.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's benign hyperpigmentation is rated at 30 percent, effective July 19, 2013. Service connection for chronic bilateral conjunctivitis is granted.
- Partly granted
The appellant was granted a 50 percent rating for PTSD, effective February 24, 2006.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to the RO for further development and readjudication of the veteran's claim for an increased rating for chronic bilateral conjunctivitis.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that there was no competent medical evidence linking his service-connected ankylosing spondylitis to his death from arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
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