The Board determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to his death from smoke inhalation due to a fire, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The VA medical expert concluded that the Veteran's service-connected cervical spondylosis and spinal stenosis did not cause or contribute substantially or materially to the chain of events leading to his death from smoke inhalation, as he was already tetraplegic due to a fall in 2001.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Post-concussion Syndrome, Tinnitus, Perforation of the Right Tympanic Membrane, Scars of the Bilateral Upper Extremities, Cervical Spondylosis and Spinal Stenosis, Left Ear Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 5, 2011
- Citation
- 1113399
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 1113399.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
Service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is granted. The appeal as to the issue of entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction is dismissed.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
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