The Board found that the appellant is not a helpless child on the basis of permanent incapacity for self-support before attaining the age of 18 years and denied his claim for VA improved death pension benefits.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the appellant was able to be gainfully employed until 1985, well after he turned 18 years old, which weighed against a finding that he was permanently incapable of self-support by reason of mental or physical defect before turning 18.
- Claimed conditions
- mental or physical defect
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2014
- Citation
- 1421467
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 1421467.
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: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection as a helpless child, finding that the appellant was not permanently incapable of self-support by reason of physical or mental defect after his 18th birthday.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as a helpless child due to lack of evidence showing she was permanently incapable of self-support by reason of mental or physical defect before her 18th birthday.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's daughter, S.P., was permanently incapable of self-support prior to attaining the age of 18 years due to mental and physical defects. The Board granted her recognition as a helpless child for VA purposes.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition of her son, A.E., as a helpless child due to insufficient evidence showing that he was permanently incapable of self-support by reason of mental or physical defect at age 18.
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