The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to drug overdose, finding that there was no competent evidence associating it with military service. The veteran's death was certified as accidental.
The deciding factor: There is no competent evidence showing a diagnosis of PTSD or any other condition related to military service contributing to the cause of death (drug overdose).
- Claimed conditions
- Drug Overdose
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 5, 2006
- Citation
- 0616236
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 175 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0616236.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's spouse died due to a drug overdose, but there was no service-connected disability at the time of death. The claim for service connection for cause of death is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to properly adjudicate the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death. This includes obtaining updated VCAA notice, medical records from various hospitals and providers, verification of service, and any other relevant information.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by a drug overdose due to severe degenerative arthritis with neck and back pain, which was proximately caused by VA's incorrect Methadone prescription. The Board found that the cause of death was not willful misconduct and granted DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.
- Denied
The VA treatment in September 2004, including the prescribed medications, did not cause the Veteran's death due to drug overdose and alcoholism. The Board finds that there is no evidence supporting a claim for VA disability compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.
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