The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death due to new and material evidence provided by a December 2004 letter from Dr. W.L., who treated the Veteran for over 13 years prior to his death. The Board now remands the case to determine if there is at least a 50% probability that the service-connected PTSD contributed to or materially hastened the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The new evidence provided by Dr. W.L. indicates that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD could have worsened his underlying condition of hypertension, which was an underlying cause of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- massive intracerebral hemorrhage
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 16, 2009
- Citation
- 0934656
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 0934656.
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.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension and cardiovascular disease did not cause his death, as they were not manifest during service or within one year of separation. The Board also noted that there was no evidence to suggest that the Veteran's death was caused by any service-connected condition.
- Denied
The veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by a disability incurred in service. The appellant is not eligible for nonservice-connected death pension benefits due to her deceased spouse's service as a Philippine Scout.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's cause of death, massive intracerebral hemorrhage, was not related to his military service or a service-connected disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
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