The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected right thigh and hip disabilities did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from splenic rupture. The VA medical expert opinion concluded that neither condition caused or contributed substantially to the fall resulting in the splenic rupture.
The deciding factor: VA medical expert opinion stated it would be speculation to say either the hip arthritis or the right thigh scar caused or contributed to the Veteran's death due to a fall from which he suffered a ruptured spleen.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of prostate cancer, Right thigh scar, Right hip osteoarthropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2013
- Citation
- 1301528
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 1301528.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating reduction and increased rating for prostate cancer, as well as the TDIU claim, due to the need for additional development of evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection of residuals of prostate cancer, finding that the August 10, 2022 effective date is appropriate under the PACT Act.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for residuals of testicular, prostate, and lung cancer as the conditions were not incurred during a period of ACDUTRA and are not related to any in-service injury or disease.
- Denied
The Board denied the appeals for increased ratings and TDIU, as the evidence did not support higher ratings or unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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