The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding no evidence linking Alzheimer's dementia to his service or a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: There was no competent medical opinion linking the veteran's service-connected malaria to his death from Alzheimer's dementia, and there was insufficient evidence showing that the service-connected condition caused or contributed to the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Alzheimer's dementia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2009
- Citation
- 0904857
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Alzheimer's dementia, finding it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as the evidence did not support a finding that his service-connected PTSD with alcohol abuse caused or contributed to his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board granted readjudication of the claims for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318, but remanded these issues to obtain additional evidence.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, Alzheimer's dementia, based on a link to in-service fuel exposure.
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