The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed substantially or materially to his death, and thus grants the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence shows that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus was caused by environmental factors such as excessive caloric intake and a sedentary lifestyle. The Board finds it likely that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his sedentary lifestyle, which in turn led to poor diabetes control and ultimately resulted in his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Lumbar Strain with Arthritis, Residuals of a Fracture of the Left Tibia and Fibula with Arthritis, Left Ankle, Instability of the Left Knee, Degenerative Disease of the Left Knee with Limitation of Motion, Chronic Strain of the Left Hip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- March 25, 2011
- Citation
- 1112045
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 1112045.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations that comply with Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016).
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