The Veteran's cause of death was due to Escherichia coli sepsis, with underlying causes including urinary tract infection, paralytic ileus, and acute renal failure. The Board is remanding the case for further development to determine if his service-connected disabilities contributed significantly to his death.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's cause of death was due to a combination of conditions, but the specific role of his service-connected disabilities in causing or contributing to these conditions needs to be clarified through additional evidence and medical opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- cerebrovascular accident, multiple contractures, dementia, diabetes, recurrent urinary tract infections, recurrent pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2009
- Citation
- 0916048
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 0916048.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease are being remanded due to the need for VA examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his exposure to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune during service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations and service connection were dismissed due to his death.
- Denied
The Veteran's tinnitus and hearing loss claims are denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.,The Veteran's high cholesterol, dementia, stroke, prostate cancer, cataracts, diabetes, hypertension, CHF, and myocardial infarction claims are denied due to lack of service connection evidence or insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the disabilities and active duty service.,The Veteran was exposed to toxins during his military service but there is no evidence linking these exposures to any of the claimed conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him in need of regular aid and attendance of another, as his need for assistance is associated with nonservice-connected conditions.
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