The Veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected conditions, and he did not meet the requirements for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence linking the Veteran's service-connected disabilities to his cause of death or meeting the statutory duration requirement for DIC benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- Alzheimer's disease, shrapnel wound to the left hand with amputation of the middle finger, shrapnel wound to the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 15, 2010
- Citation
- 1009707
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 1009707.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for Alzheimer's disease due to a need for additional evidence and an updated medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that the chronic use of NSAIDs to manage his service-connected disabilities substantially and materially contributed to the Veteran's Alzheimer's disease and Acute Kidney Injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a neurological disorder, to include progressive aphasia, Parkinsonism, and Alzheimer's disease, due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicides in service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for Alzheimer's disease and an initial compensable evaluation for chronic sinusitis, prior to February 1, 2022.
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