The Board denied the appellant's claims of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and entitlement to DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that there was no evidence linking the veteran's death to his military service or a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was insufficient medical evidence to establish a causal relationship between the veteran's service and his cause of death (bilateral bronchopneumonia) or any service-connected condition. The appellant did not meet the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 as she could not demonstrate that her spouse was entitled to a combined 100% schedular rating for at least 10 years prior to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral bronchopneumonia, congestive heart failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 24, 2006
- Citation
- 0621832
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 0621832.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a heart condition to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA clinician regarding whether the Veteran's current heart condition is related to service, including in-service treatment for hypertension.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence that the Veteran was exposed to herbicides during his service.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed all service connection claims due to the Veteran's death, as there is no substituted appellant for this appeal.
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