The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and has determined that a disability related to active service substantially or materially contributed to the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: Multiple medical opinions have concluded that the veteran's service-connected left leg injury residuals caused or significantly contributed to his circulatory problems, which in turn contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of a shell fragment wound injury of the left leg, Aortobifemoral bypass grafts, Atherosclerotic vascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2008
- Citation
- 0843313
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0843313.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between any of his fatal conditions and his military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of death, circulation problems in bilateral legs, and strokes.,The evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions were related to the Veteran's active service or service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was caused by multiple conditions, and the Board is remanding to determine if his exposure to herbicide agents or contaminated water during service contributed to these conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection of a heart disability was granted on March 11, 2016 with an effective date of that day. The Board found no earlier effective date due to lack of evidence meeting the criteria under Nehmer and 38 C.F.R. § 3.816.
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