The Board found that the Veteran's suicide was not caused by any service-connected conditions, and denied claims for service connection for cause of death.
The deciding factor: Competent medical opinion indicated that PTSD did not cause the Veteran's suicide, and there was no evidence showing that his service-connected conditions contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Bronchial asthma, Plantar fasciitis of the right foot, Impingement syndrome of the right shoulder, Status post anterior cruciate ligament repair of the left knee, Degenerative changes of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 11, 2011
- Citation
- 1118137
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 1118137.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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: Granted
The Veteran's bronchial asthma has been rated at 30% since January 7, 2004. The Board has now granted a 60% rating effective from November 14, 2024, based on the evidence showing FEV-1/FVC of 40 to 55 percent during the appeal period.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's bronchial asthma is rated at 60 percent since March 31, 1997. The Board found the current rating of 60 percent to be correct based on post-bronchodilator FEV-1 and FVC measurements.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, finding that the VA examination and opinion were inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran's complete medical history. The case is now to be reviewed with an addendum VA opinion.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because the Board Appeal request was not timely filed with respect to the June 14, 2023 rating decision that decreased the rating for degenerative changes of the lumbar spine to 20 percent effective September 1, 2023.
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