The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence showing a causal relationship between any service-connected disability and the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion provided by Dr. E.M., who concluded that the Veteran had severe posttraumatic stress throughout his life due to his war-related experience, is deemed inadmissible as it lacks credibility and is not based on mental evaluation of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- aspiration pneumonitis, severe dementia, left frontal cerebrovascular accident
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2012
- Citation
- 1209397
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 1209397.
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: Partly granted
The Board denied higher ratings for the veteran's anxiety disorder and hearing loss but remanded decisions on service connection for severe dementia and special monthly compensation.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected CML caused several disabilities, including loss of use of bilateral lower extremities (eosinophilic fasciitis), erosive esophagitis, aspiration pneumonitis, right upper and left upper extremity eosinophilic fasciitis, thoracolumbar spine eosinophilic fasciitis, cervical spine eosinophilic fasciitis, and malnutrition. Effective December 6, 2017, service connection was granted for these conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was not related to his military service, and the appellant is not in need of regular aid and attendance or housebound due to disability. Therefore, the claims for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death and special monthly pension are denied.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the appellant's request to reopen her claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death. The issue is now remanded for a VA medical opinion regarding whether service-connected hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus contributed to the Veteran's death.
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