The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability and did not meet the criteria for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1310 or 1318.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a causal connection between any of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his death, nor did it show that he was rated totally disabled for at least five years prior to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease, Myelofibrosis with underlying causes of sepsis, meningitis, and lesions in the brain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2009
- Citation
- 0908611
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.
- Denied
The appeal for an increased rating for left hip, the claims for entitlement to an earlier effective date and an increased rating for right knee strain, and the appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for left shoulder strain were dismissed. The claim for a 40 percent rating from June 24, 2021 for degenerative disc disease was granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a lumbar spine disability as secondary to a cervical spine disability due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for meningitis and leukopenia due to a procedural due process violation.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a higher initial rating of 40 percent for degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral strain, and scoliosis, but remanded the other issues.
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