The Veteran's death was caused by Alzheimer's disease, which is a significant condition contributing to his death. His service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine was found to be a contributory cause of death. As such, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death has been granted.
The deciding factor: The service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine contributed substantially or materially to the cause of death (Alzheimer's disease).
- Claimed conditions
- Alzheimer's disease, lumbosacral spine due to spinal stenosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2009
- Citation
- 0940057
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 0940057.
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 case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder and exposures at Camp LeJeune contributed to his cause of death. The VA must obtain an addendum opinion addressing these issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for prostate cancer, Alzheimer's disease, pseudophakia, spine tumor, and a heart condition due to potential errors in obtaining all relevant medical records and considering the Veteran's exposure to toxic environmental risk activities (TERA) during his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder, as well as Alzheimer's disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability or a causal link to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of VA medical opinion regarding the cause of death and failure to obtain SSA disability records.
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