The Board found that a service-connected disability did not cause or contribute substantially or materially to the Veteran's death, and denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The greater weight of the evidence is against the conclusion that any disability associated with service caused or contributed to the Veteran's death. The VA medical expert opinion indicated that PGR was not a causative factor in the development of multiple myeloma or cardiorespiratory arrest, and there was no supportive evidence indicating that treatment for the multiple myeloma accelerated its progression.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple Myeloma, Cardiorespiratory Arrest
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2009
- Citation
- 0906732
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple myeloma, back disability (secondary to multiple myeloma), and depression, with an effective date of January 26, 2021. The decision also remanded claims related to breast cancer, DEA benefits, and initial ratings.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his service-connected multiple myeloma contributed substantially and materially to his death.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of September 5, 2023, for the award of service connection for multiple myeloma and MGUS but denied a compensable evaluation for hypertension.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his service-connected conditions did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
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