The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected heart condition, associated with diabetes mellitus, type II, contributed to his death from a subdural hematoma caused by a fall due to dizziness. The Board finds the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether this was the case and grants the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The service-connected heart condition, associated with diabetes mellitus, type II, contributed to the Veteran's fall due to dizziness which caused a subdural hematoma, the immediate cause of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- herniated nucleus pulposus, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, type II, cataracts, post-surgery, associated with diabetes mellitus, type II, bilateral hearing loss, heart condition, associated with diabetes mellitus, type II
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2015
- Citation
- 1513254
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 1513254.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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