The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by a disability incurred in or aggravated by his service. The issue of entitlement to additional accrued benefits remains pending.
The deciding factor: The cause of death (pulmonary embolism) was not related to service-connected disabilities and no other condition was found to be directly related to the veteran's service.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary embolism, Moderate obesity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 15, 2006
- Citation
- 0604407
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 claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding VA's obligation to obtain relevant records from the Social Security Administration.
- Denied
The Board denied the restoration of a separate 50 percent rating for sleep apnea due to clear and unmistakable error in the May 2008 rating decision.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a neck disability and remanded claims for asthma, pulmonary embolism, thyroid cancer, acute pancreatitis, breast cancer, hypertension, left knee condition, right knee condition, and an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bruxism, sciatica of the right and left lower extremities, a heart disability, hypertension, pulmonary embolism, anemia, helicobacter pylori infection, and gastroesophageal reflux disease as there was no evidence to support a current diagnosis or a link to 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.