The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and he did not meet the criteria for DIC benefits under Section 1318.
The deciding factor: The VA physician found that none of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed substantially or materially to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, chronic lumbar strain, fractured mandible, left condyle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2009
- Citation
- 0947963
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0947963.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's hypertension, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome have been granted service connection as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The lumbar spine disability has also been granted but the effective date is not specified.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy and a rating in excess of 10 percent for chronic lumbar strain. The claims for migraines and Meniere's disease are remanded.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has readjudicated the claim for service connection for chronic lumbar strain due to new evidence submitted after the prior final denial. However, it was determined that the Veteran's current condition is not related to service because his actions leading to the injury were considered willful misconduct.
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