The Board has determined that further development is necessary before the cause of death and DIC benefits claims can be fully adjudicated. The Veteran died from respiratory arrest due to esophageal cancer, with protein malnutrition being one of the conditions contributing to his death but not related to the immediate cause.
The deciding factor: Further development is required as the relationship between the service-connected posttraumatic personality disorder and the protein malnutrition that contributed to the Veteran's death needs clarification.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal cancer, pneumonia, protein malnutrition, coronary artery disease, bipolar symptoms, diabetes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2011
- Citation
- 1142542
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 1142542.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and stroke as there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during service and the medical opinions were against a nexus to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease with myocardial infarction is granted on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty in Korea.
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