The Veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected disabilities, and the Board finds that these conditions did not contribute substantially or materially to cause the Veteran's death. The independent medical opinion concluded that the service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The independent medical examiner opined that the service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to the Veteran's death, and there was no evidence linking his death to any preexisting service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- left hemiparesis residuals of a cerebrovascular accident, arthritis of the bilateral hands, degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, mild dementia and cognitive deficit residuals of cerebrovascular accidents associated with hypertension, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 15, 2016
- Citation
- 1623933
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 1623933.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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