The veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the surviving spouse is not entitled to dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 or 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.
The deciding factor: The Board found that no service-connected disability caused or contributed substantially or materially to cause the veteran's death, as there was no evidence linking any of his service-connected conditions to the immediate cause (aspiration pneumonia) and underlying condition (abdominal aortic aneurysm).
- Claimed conditions
- partial paralysis of the left sciatic nerve, left thigh scars (retained foreign body), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), right leg scars (muscle group XII), bilateral tinnitus, left hand scar (muscle group X)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- June 5, 2006
- Citation
- 0616244
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 0616244.
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 claim for service connection for PTSD to be readjudicated on the merits due to new and relevant evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date, service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and service connection for insomnia.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied, except for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability which were granted. The veteran was also granted service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for bilateral tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, resulting in their dismissal.
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