The Board finds that the Veteran's death was caused by a service-connected condition, specifically his bilateral knee replacement surgery. The evidence is in equipoise as to whether this contributed substantially or materially to his death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral knee replacement surgery may have contributed to his death due to complications such as myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular disease.
- Claimed conditions
- left total knee replacement (TKR) due to traumatic degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the left knee, right TKR, residuals of frostbite, right foot, residuals of frostbite, left foot, residuals of frostbite, right hand, residuals of frostbite, left hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 21, 2015
- Citation
- 1516991
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 1516991.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's combined disability rating is 60%, which does not meet the criteria for a TDIU. The case is being referred to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, residuals of frostbite in the left foot, and residuals of frostbite in the right foot. The Veteran's current disabilities are found to be related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for residuals of frostbite in both feet as there is no evidence of current disability and the Veteran's symptoms are consistent with athlete’s foot, which he already has a separate service connection for.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of frostbite, left hand was granted. The Veteran's PTSD claim resulted in a rating increase to 70 percent.
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