The Veteran's death was caused by acute and chronic alcoholism, not service-connected conditions.,Accrued benefits for PTSD were denied as the claim was filed more than one year after the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence indicates that the cause of the Veteran's death was due to his own substance abuse, which is not related to military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute and chronic alcoholism
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2011
- Citation
- 1100897
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 1100897.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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: Denied
The Veteran's death was caused by acute and chronic alcoholism, which is considered willful misconduct. The underlying cause of his death was cardiomegaly, but this condition did not result from service-connected disability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was due to alcoholism, which is considered willful misconduct. The case is being remanded for further medical evaluation and opinion regarding whether cardiomegaly contributed to the cause of death.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by acute and chronic alcoholism, which is a symptom of his service-connected PTSD. The Board finds that the Veteran's death meets the criteria for service connection.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was due to his own willful misconduct, and service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is not warranted.
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