The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to new and material evidence. The VA physician and independent medical expert have provided opinions linking the veteran's psychiatric condition, specifically post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to his cardiovascular disease leading to a fatal cardiac arrest.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran's service-connected PTSD contributed substantially or materially to his death from arteriosclerotic coronary disease due to its association with increased cardiac risk factors and reduced life expectancy.
- Claimed conditions
- schizophrenic reaction, malaria
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 19, 2006
- Citation
- 0601580
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an increased disability evaluation of 100 percent for service-connected malaria, finding the evidence to be in approximate equipoise as to whether the Veteran's malaria was active during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for malaria, including residuals, as there is no current diagnosis of malaria or residuals.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for malaria as there was no evidence of active malaria or any current residuals affecting a bodily system.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for malaria as new and relevant evidence was not submitted to support a currently diagnosed disability.
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