The veteran's service-connected PTSD and residuals of a gunshot wound to the left hand did not substantially or materially contribute to cause his death, but he was in receipt of a total disability rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities for over ten years prior to his death. Therefore, DIC benefits are granted.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected conditions were rated as 70% and 60%, respectively, and he had been rated totally disabled due to service-connected disabilities for over ten years immediately preceding his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Residuals of a gunshot wound to the left hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- December 20, 2006
- Citation
- 0639697
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,440 · Granted: 30% (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 0639697.
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.
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- Granted
The Board has granted eligibility to attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in the October 2024 rating decision for an increased PTSD rating and denied TDIU.
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