The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD contributed to his cause of death, which was listed as hypertensive cardiovascular disease and cirrhosis. The Board found that the appellant's private medical opinion supported her claim that the Veteran's alcohol dependence, secondary to his PTSD, led to his liver disease and ultimately caused his death.
The deciding factor: The private physician provided a comprehensive rationale for the conclusion that the Veteran's PTSD led to his alcohol dependence, which contributed to his cirrhosis of the liver and ultimately caused his death.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertensive cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 22, 2010
- Citation
- 1023264
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 1023264.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The claim for entitlement to service connection for hypotension was dismissed, and the issue of entitlement to service connection for hypertensive cardiovascular disease was remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of March 8, 2024 for the grant of service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus but denied earlier effective dates for atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. The other claims were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that his hypertensive cardiovascular disease began during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, for purposes of entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), as further development is necessary.
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