The Veteran's death was not caused by faulty VA treatment, and the claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 is denied.
The deciding factor: The cause of the Veteran's death was intentional overdose on methadone and Citalopram, not a result of VA carelessness or negligence.
- Claimed conditions
- Atherosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease, Recent suicide attempt by drug overdose
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 14, 2009
- Citation
- 0930590
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 0930590.
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.
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