The Board finds that the Veteran's death was not caused by or substantially or materially contributed to by a disability incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service, including his service-connected residuals of brain trauma.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died due to a motor vehicle accident, and there is no evidence linking his service-connected residuals of brain trauma to the cause of death. The Board concludes that these symptoms did not substantially contribute to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine, residuals of brain trauma to include headaches, amnestic disorder and insomnia, mood disorder, impairment of sphincter control, fecal leakage, facial paralysis, actinic keratosis, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2010
- Citation
- 1045058
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 1045058.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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