The Board found that the appellant is not shown to be permanently incapable of self-support before reaching the age of 18, and she has a history of employment and education. Therefore, her claim for nonservice-connected death pension benefits was denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show the appellant to have been permanently incapable of self-support prior to her 18th birthday.
- Claimed conditions
- Head trauma, Childhood sexual assault, Witnessing domestic abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 3, 2016
- Citation
- 1617863
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 1617863.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to duty-to-assist errors and insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed TBI. The AOJ is directed to obtain private medical records and any SSA disability benefits documentation.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have any diagnoses relevant to the claimed right hip injury, sleep difficulties, or head trauma. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for residuals of a head trauma resulting in a brain cyst, headaches, cognitive disorder to include memory loss, and bipolar symptoms. The evidence did not establish that the arachnoid cyst was related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent disabling, effective August 2, 2002, for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
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