The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death was unrelated to his service-connected disabilities, including his gunshot wound residuals.
The deciding factor: A VA physician concluded it was less likely as not (less than 50/50 probability) that the Veteran's service-connected gunshot wound residuals were a cause of his death and did not associate his COPD with his service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Aspiration pneumonia, Dysphagia, Advanced Parkinson's disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 30, 2010
- Citation
- 1028712
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 1028712.
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 Veteran's PTSD was granted a 70 percent evaluation beginning May 25, 2023. Allergic rhinitis was denied for the period prior to June 24, 2024.
- Granted
The Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for sinus neoplasm residuals and TDIU, but remanded the claims for service connection for GERD and dysphagia.
- Partly granted
The appeal was dismissed for the claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, and service connection for migraine headaches was restored. Several claims for service connection were denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death to obtain a medical opinion regarding the relationship between his in-service pneumonia and his aspiration pneumonia, as well as whether his TBI caused or contributed to his seizures and Parkinson's disease.
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