The Board denied the appellant's claim for increased death pension benefits as she is already receiving the highest rate of pension for a surviving spouse with no dependents and no income.
The deciding factor: The appellant does not have any income, which means her medical expenses are moot in determining her death pension rate. The regulatory criteria dictate that only if the appellant had reported income would her medical expenses be used to lower her countable income.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2010
- Citation
- 1048449
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 1048449.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
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- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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