The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, as there was no evidence linking the veteran's fatal conditions to his service or service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The competent medical evidence did not show that a service-connected disability caused or substantially contributed to the veteran's death, and he did not meet the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
- Claimed conditions
- dysthymic disorder, gunshot wound (left chest), through and through gunshot wound (left chest with fractured fourth and sixth ribs), gunshot wound (lumbar region)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2008
- Citation
- 0812308
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,035 · 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 0812308.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their appeal for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's dysthymic disorder disability was productive of total social and occupational impairment throughout the claim period, warranting a 100 percent disability rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for fibromyalgia and psychiatric disabilities, as well as his entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU), are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected dysthymic disorder, anxiety disorder, borderline intellectual functioning, and dyslexia have prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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