The Veteran's cause of death was renal failure, but the Board has determined that service connection for his anxiety disorder may have contributed to his death. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions and evidence.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there are conflicting opinions regarding whether the Veteran’s service-connected anxiety disorder caused or contributed to his death, necessitating further review with additional medical input.
- Claimed conditions
- Generalized anxiety disorder, Renal failure, Bacteremia/sepsis, Respiratory failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 7, 2010
- Citation
- 1033476
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 1033476.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's accrued benefits claim for reimbursement of expenses related to his last sickness is granted, with a total amount of $37,366.56.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of the issue of service connection for 9400 mental disorders, anxiety disorders, and generalized anxiety disorder was dismissed due to concurrent appeals. The claim is considered a supplemental claim for an already adjudicated issue.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there is no competent evidence linking any principal or contributory cause of his death to his service.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including persistent depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, is found to have begun during service. Effective February 4, 2020, a 20% rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy is granted. The effective date of the separate 20% rating for left lower radiculopathy remains January 14, 2021.
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