The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected undifferentiated type schizophrenia substantially or materially contributed to his death from aspiration pneumonia in December 2003, and thus grants service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: Expert medical opinions supported a finding that the veteran's service-connected mental illness contributed to his death by pneumonia.
- Claimed conditions
- undifferentiated type schizophrenia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 15, 2006
- Citation
- 0635490
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (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 0635490.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a total rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability due to service connected disabilities (TDIU) because it did not address Dr. N.O.'s March 2009 evaluation and whether any recommended work environment constitutes a 'protected [work] environment' for the purposes of 38 C.F.R. § § 4.16(a).
- Denied
The Veteran is not competent to handle disbursement of VA funds due to his mental condition, specifically undifferentiated type schizophrenia.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for schizophrenia and cervical spine disability, as well as his claim for TDIU, have been denied because he failed to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected disabilities and their impact on his ability to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
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.