The Board has determined that the service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute to the Veteran's death, and thus denied the claims for service connection for the cause of death, eligibility for nonservice-connected death pension benefits, and entitlement to accrued benefits.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions concluded that the service-connected gunshot wound residuals did not cause or hasten the Veteran's death due to a lack of evidence linking psychosocial trauma from the injury to his other conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- right thigh gunshot wound residuals, malaria, degenerative joint disease of the right knee, traumatic degenerative joint disease of the hip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 23, 2014
- Citation
- 1423537
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 1423537.
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 has decided to remand the case due to insufficient detail in a previous VA medical opinion regarding whether malaria or scarlet fever during service contributed to the Veteran's death. The case must be returned for further evaluation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral hips and right knee are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The VA is required to obtain the Veteran's SSA disability benefits records, provide supplemental opinions regarding the ameliorative effects of medication on his hip and knee disabilities, and correct any duty-to-assist errors.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for malaria was dismissed because the November 17, 2025 request for Board review came before the September 16, 2025 higher-level review of the same issue had been completed.
- Dismissed
The appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the Appellant, and no decision can be made on the underlying claims.
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