The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability, which was a result of his military service, contributed to his death from pulmonary thromboembolism. The cause of death is therefore service connected.
The deciding factor: The service-connected right ankle disability caused deep venous thrombophlebitis and deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which were contributory causes of the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- traumatic arthritis of the right ankle, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, left knee chondromalacia patella, right knee chondromalacia patella, tinnitus, bilateral plantar fasciitis with plantar warts and degenerative changes, left ear hearing loss, seborrheic dermatitis with bilateral onychomycosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 18, 2015
- Citation
- 1540268
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 1540268.
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 Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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