The Veteran's death was not service-connected, and the appellant did not meet the legal criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 or accrued benefits.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had no unadjudicated claims pending at the time of his death, nor were there any clear and unmistakable errors in prior rating decisions that would have allowed for an earlier effective date for a total disability rating due to service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), lumbosacral strain, right hip strain, neurodermatitis of the face
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 21, 2009
- Citation
- 0927069
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 0927069.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain and lumbar radicopathy, right side, secondary to the lumbosacral strain.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include unspecified depressive disorder with social anxiety disorder and PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, finding that the Veteran's low back injury occurred during a period of active duty for training (ADT) and continued therefrom.
- Dismissed
The appeals for restoration of ratings and for a higher disability rating were dismissed as the April 2025 rating decision did not make final decisions on these issues.
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