The Veteran's death was caused by an acute heroin overdose, which she voluntarily ingested during active duty. The Board found that her death was the result of her own willful misconduct and denied service connection for the cause of her death.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's voluntary ingestion of heroin led to a fatal overdose, resulting in her death. Her death was deemed to be caused by her own willful misconduct.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypoxic brain injury, Cardiac failure, Central nervous system failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 16, 2010
- Citation
- 1035069
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1035069.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is service connected, and it was a contributing cause of his death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the veteran's death was caused by her own willful misconduct, specifically voluntary heroin use during active duty. As a result, service connection for the cause of her death is denied.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by toxic hepatitis with cardiac failure, which is considered a result of his service. The claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is granted.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's death to his service, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
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