The veteran's death was caused by respiratory failure, chronic obstructive bronchitis and pneumoconiosis. The appellant contends that the service-connected diabetes mellitus Type II contributed to her husband's cause of death. The case is being remanded for additional development.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that further development is necessary before determining whether the service-connected diabetes mellitus Type II contributed to the veteran's cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus Type II, respiratory failure, chronic obstructive bronchitis, pneumoconiosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2007
- Citation
- 0738173
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 0738173.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's causes of death were not found to be service-connected, as there was no credible evidence linking the conditions to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable evaluation for the Veteran's pneumoconiosis during the period on appeal, finding that his Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for pneumoconiosis and sinusitis due to in-service toxic exposure risk activities (TERAs) because of a duty to assist error. The claims will be reviewed again with additional medical opinions.
- Granted
Service connection for diabetes mellitus Type II is granted. The Board also found that service connection should be granted for hypertension and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation as secondary to the Veteran's diabetes mellitus.
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