The Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, which substantially contributed to his cause of death. The Board finds that the evidence is at least equally balanced in terms of whether service-connected disability substantially contributed to the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: Medical evidence supports a finding that the Veteran's fatty liver, a major contributor to his death, was caused by his diabetes mellitus, which is a service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, sepsis, liver dysfunction, renal failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- November 10, 2016
- Citation
- 1643170
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 1643170.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
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