The Veteran's death was caused by aspiration pneumonia, dysphagia, and advanced Parkinson's disease. The appellant contends that the Veteran's service-connected gunshot wound residuals aggravated his pre-existing lung conditions leading to his death.
The deciding factor: The physician's statement indicates that the Veteran had difficulty swallowing due to severe disease (likely referring to both Parkinson's disease and COPD).
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of gunshot wound to right chest with fracture deformities of the 6th and 7th ribs, right side pleural thickening right, and adhesions and pleural diaphragmatic adhesions, advanced Parkinson's Disease
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2009
- Citation
- 0944356
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 0944356.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine arthritis is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service connected due to his fear of hostile military activity during his Vietnam service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease are being remanded due to the need for VA examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his exposure to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune during service.
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