The Board finds that the Veteran's suicide was not caused by a service-connected condition, and thus does not meet the criteria for service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's brain neoplasm did not result from service and that his decision to end his life was intentional, not due to any mental health issue or psychosis.
- Claimed conditions
- Intraoral gunshot wound, Brain neoplasm
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 18, 2012
- Citation
- 1217972
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 1217972.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and he did not have any permanent and total service-connected disabilities at the time of his death. Therefore, DEA benefits are denied.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by a brain neoplasm, which is related to his service and exposure to environmental hazards in Saudi Arabia. As such, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information and need for a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death, brain neoplasm, was incurred in service or related to his service.
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