The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death. The appellant is seeking to establish a link between her husband's service-connected gunshot wound to the abdomen and his subsequent small bowel obstruction, which led to his death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new medical opinions supported the contention that the Veteran's previous abdominal injury contributed to his cause of death from small bowel obstruction.
- Claimed conditions
- gunshot wound to the abdomen
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2009
- Citation
- 0913949
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 0913949.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen in 1983, classified as homicide. The Board found that his death was not caused by any service-connected disability and denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
- Denied
The VA denied both the claim for an increased rating and the claim for TDIU due to the veteran's service-connected residuals of a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The RO found that these conditions do not warrant a higher than 10 percent evaluation, as they are currently classified as moderate in severity.
- Denied
The veteran's appeals for service connection and evaluations related to his gunshot wound and heart disease were denied due to lack of legal entitlement. The Board found no basis for higher ratings or earlier effective dates.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of a gunshot wound to the abdomen are proximately due to or the result of his service-connected disability (recurrent episodes of loss of consciousness, probably syncope). As such, service connection is granted.
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