The Veteran's death was caused by ischemic bowel disease, which the Board found to be related to his service-connected ischemic heart disease. The claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 is dismissed due to the grant of service connection for PTSD. The evaluation of PTSD for accrued benefits remains pending and will need to be remanded.
The deciding factor: Ischemic bowel disease was found to have been caused by ischemic heart disease, which is presumed to have resulted from herbicide exposure during active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Alzheimer's Disease, ischemic bowel disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 6, 2011
- Citation
- 1125475
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 1125475.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's adult son, the Appellant, is granted accrued benefits due and unpaid at the time of his father's death. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the expenses borne by the Appellant were a result of the Veteran's last sickness and burial.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Alzheimer's Disease and the cause of death, finding that both were related to the Veteran's in-service exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The decision is based on evidence showing a relationship between such exposure and the development of Alzheimer's Disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to January 23, 2023, for his PTSD rating is denied. The Board finds that the Veteran did not file a VA Form 9 in response to the May 2020 Statement of the Case and therefore, the May 2020 decision is final. As such, an earlier effective date cannot be granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, memory loss, and anxiety as secondary to in-service herbicide exposure due to a lack of an etiological opinion on these issues.
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