The Veteran's death was caused by cardiac arrest due to systemic inflammatory syndrome, which is not service-connected. Service connection for PTSD has been granted but does not contribute substantially or materially to the cause of death.
The deciding factor: A VA physician concluded that the Veteran's PTSD did not cause his death and there were no other service-connected conditions contributing to it.
- Claimed conditions
- Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), Cardiac Arrest
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- February 26, 2016
- Citation
- 1607576
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 1607576.
What this means for you
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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 death was caused by his conditions (Ventricular Fibrillation, Cardiac Arrest, and Heart Failure), which the Board finds may have been exacerbated or worsened due to VA treatment. The Board is remanding the case for a new medical opinion to determine if VA negligence contributed to the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of medical evidence on whether the Veteran's death was caused by service-connected conditions, including presumed herbicide exposure. The VA is required to obtain an opinion from a clinician regarding the cause of the Veteran's death and its relation to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be related to his service-connected PTSD, which contributed to the sepsis caused by untreated dental issues. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death and denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation benefits based on service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that there was no evidence linking his COPD or cardiac arrest to service.
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