The Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected major depression and related conditions, which were contributory causes of his death. The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his untimely death.
The deciding factor: The chronic pain associated with the Veteran's service-connected disabilities made it difficult for him to manage his hypertension, contributing to his cardiac arrhythmia and cardiomegaly which caused his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depression associated with bulging disk and a small right paramedian disk herniation at L4-L5, Bulging disk and a small right paramedian disk herniation at L4-L5, Cervical disc disease (head and neck injury with facial scars, nerve damage, loss of mobility, and arthritis), Right knee injury, Facial scars, Ligament laxity and weakness, left ankle, Ligament laxity and weakness, right ankle, Nicotine dependence
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- July 31, 2009
- Citation
- 0928667
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 0928667.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection of back, left knee, and right knee injuries due to a lack of VA examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for acne and facial scars, finding that the Veteran did not meet his burden of showing an in-service aggravation of preexisting conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of facial scars to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the etiology of the Veteran's skin disorder, including considering his in-service skin complaints and treatment.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a total disability rating due to individual unemployability from December 2, 2019 to June 15, 2021 on an extraschedular basis.
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