The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and he did not meet the criteria for dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died of a gunshot wound that was not related to his military service or any service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral flat feet, post traumatic stress disorder, spondylolithesis L5-S1, pain and weakness of the right and lower left extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2009
- Citation
- 0909241
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to untimely filing of the Board Appeal requests.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's passing during its pendency.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling VA examinations.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral flat feet, finding that the condition increased in severity during active-duty service and was not due to the natural progression of the disease.
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