The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability aided or lent assistance to the production of his death from methadone toxicity, and thus service connection for the cause of death is granted.
The deciding factor: The appellant's testimony was consistent with the medical evidence of record, suggesting that the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability caused him to be unable to self-manage his medications, which resulted in accidental methadone toxicity.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder, schizoaffective disorder, major depression
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 16, 2010
- Citation
- 1026603
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 1026603.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for major depression, personality disorder, and severe anxiety due to an inadequate VA examination and opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted a disability rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, characterized as depressive disorder, effective May 1, 2017.
- Denied
The Board denied an increased rating for depressive disorder and remanded the claims for a higher rating for headache syndrome and TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for further development, including verification of an in-service stressor and obtaining additional medical opinions.
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