The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and found that the Appellant's minor child's Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits should not be excluded from countable income for death pension purposes. The Board concluded that SSA benefits are considered income, and therefore do not qualify for exclusion under Section 3.272(a), (b), or (m).
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding of chronic lymphocytic leukemia during service or post-service, and the Appellant's minor child's SSA benefits were determined to be countable income rather than an excluded charitable donation.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2016
- Citation
- 1602510
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 1602510.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied as the evidence did not establish that he is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's causes of death were not found to be service-connected, as there was no credible evidence linking the conditions to his military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple conditions have been dismissed due to his death during the appeal process.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service-connected chronic lymphocytic leukemia and coronary artery disease are granted, with the earliest possible effective date being May 26, 2024.
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