The Veteran died from cardiopulmonary arrest, with chronic aspiration as the underlying cause. The right hip replacement surgery was found to be a contributory cause of his death and secondary to his service-connected left thigh shrapnel wound.
The deciding factor: Right hip replacement contributed to the Veteran's death due to its exacerbation of pre-existing conditions related to his service-connected left thigh injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic aspiration, History of pneumonia, Acute respiratory distress syndrome, Supraventricular tachycardia/multifocal atrial tachycardia, Congestive heart failure, Emphysema, Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone, Hypertension, Laryngeal cancer, Hip replacement
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2009
- Citation
- 0924926
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 0924926.
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
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- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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