The Veteran's death was not caused or contributed to by service-connected conditions. The Veteran did not meet the duration requirements for a total disability rating under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, and there is no evidence of CUE in any prior decision.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not establish that any of the conditions contributing to death were incurred or aggravated by service-connected hearing loss or other service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Aspiration pneumonia, Swallowing disorder, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Coronary artery disease (CAD), Diabetes mellitus (DM), Hypertension (HTN)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2010
- Citation
- 1003591
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 1003591.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities prior to February 14, 2025, as the evidence did not show that he was precluded from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment during the appeal period.
- Denied
The appeal for service connection for PTSD was dismissed, and the claims for a compensable rating for the lower back scar, service connection for COPD, and peripheral artery disease were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, COPD, a gastrointestinal disability, and migraines due to lack of evidence supporting a link between these conditions and her military service.
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