The Board finds that service-connected bilateral lower extremity venous insufficiency contributed substantially and materially to the Veteran's death, granting entitlement to service connection for the cause of his death.
The deciding factor: The April 2016 VA physician's opinion found that chronic venous insufficiency likely contributed substantially and materially to leg infections which precipitated the causal chain ending in the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- venous insufficiency with stasis dermatitis of the left lower extremity, venous insufficiency of the right lower extremity, cardiomegaly, erectile dysfunction, diabetes mellitus, lateral facet syndrome of the right knee, hypertension, residuals of stress fractures of the right and left tibia, low back strain, bilateral hearing loss, kidney stones
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- August 19, 2016
- Citation
- 1632979
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 1632979.
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.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- 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.
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