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
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's left eye condition is related to service, as it found that the condition did not preexist service.
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