The Board found that the Veteran's amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was incurred in service and granted service connection for both the cause of the Veteran's death and ALS for accrued benefits purposes.
The deciding factor: The October 2008 opinion by a VA neurologist/Medical Services physician stated it was at least as likely as not that the Veteran's ALS had its onset during active service or was the result of his active service, including his service in Guam.
- Claimed conditions
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2009
- Citation
- 0911248
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 386 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0911248.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 the cause of death, concluding that the Veteran's amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) contributed substantially and materially to his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied the claims for earlier effective dates, finding that it was not factually ascertainable that the Veteran suffered from the loss of use of both feet prior to February 13, 2014.
- Denied
The Board denied the Appellant's claim for additional DIC benefits pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 1311(a)(2) as the Veteran was not in receipt of, and was not entitled to receive, compensation for a service-connected disability that was rated totally disabling for a continuous period of at least eight years immediately preceding his death.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was due to ALS, a condition that became presumptively service-connected in September 2008. However, the appellant remarried prior to this change and is therefore not eligible for retroactive DIC benefits.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.