The Board denied service connection for the cause of death of the Veteran, finding that his service-connected chronic gastritis with history of peptic ulcer was not a principal or contributory cause of his death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's service-connected chronic gastritis with history of peptic ulcer and his death due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. A gastroenterologist opined that it was highly unlikely that the Veteran's peptic ulcer disease contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic gastritis with history of peptic ulcer, appendectomy scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2009
- Citation
- 0911525
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 Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and initial compensable ratings, as well as service connection for various conditions, except for a scar related to a laminectomy which was granted with an effective date of March 22, 2021.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 7, 2021 for the grant of service connection for cervical strain, residuals of status-post appendectomy, tender appendectomy scar, alopecia, and appendectomy scar. The claim for left long finger extensor tenosynovitis was remanded.
- Denied
The Veteran's appendectomy scar has not been found to be painful or unstable, and thus does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for loss of use of the right upper extremity was denied, but his claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance (A&A) was granted.
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