The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the Appellant does not meet the income requirements for nonservice-connected death pension benefits. The claim is denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish that any service-connected condition contributed to the Veteran's cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Impairment of anal sphincter control, Internal and external hemorrhoids
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 11, 2015
- Citation
- 1506291
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1506291.
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 Veteran's cause of death was listed as complications of dementia, but an amended certificate lists failure to thrive related to rectal surgery as the immediate cause. The service-connected impairment of anal sphincter control and hemorrhoids are not considered to have caused or contributed substantially to his death.,No service-connected burial benefits were awarded due to lack of service connection for the cause of death.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's hemorrhoids are large and result in persistent bleeding, frequent recurrences, and excessive redundant tissue. The current rating under the applicable diagnostic code adequately reflects these findings.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied a higher initial rating for impairment of anal sphincter control, finding that the veteran's disability did not meet the criteria for a rating greater than 30 percent.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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