The Board finds that the Veteran's cause of death, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), was not caused by or a result of service-connected conditions. The VA physician concluded that MS was not permanently aggravated by the service-connected malaria infection.
The deciding factor: Protozoan infections such as malaria have never been associated with MS, and the cause of MS remains unknown.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2010
- Citation
- 1016948
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 1016948.
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 case to obtain an adequate opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing toxic exposures during service and submitted medical literature.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for multiple sclerosis, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to MS and that the condition did not manifest within seven years of discharge from active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a VA examination to address all respiratory disabilities found or shown during the appeal period and to determine their relationship to service, including exposure to toxic or environmental hazards.
- Granted
The Board granted compensation pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the cause of the Veteran's death, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the appellant.
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