The Board denied the appellant's claims for accrued benefits, service connection for the cause of death, DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, and entitlement to burial and plot or interment allowances based on the facts that the veteran did not have a disability that was continuously rated totally disabling for a period of 10 years prior to his death, he was not a former prisoner of war, and he died more than 5 years after his separation from service. The Board also found that the body of the veteran is not being held by a state or political subdivision thereof.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the veteran had a disability continuously rated totally disabling for at least 10 years prior to death, and he was not a former prisoner of war, nor did his death occur more than 5 years after separation from service. The body of the veteran is also not being held by a state or political subdivision thereof.
- Claimed conditions
- cystic tumor of the cervicothoracic spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 1, 2006
- Citation
- 0612603
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,555 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0612603.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Whole decision: Denied
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- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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