The Veteran's death was not proximately caused by VA medical treatment, and therefore DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for the cause of his death are denied.
The deciding factor: The August 2016 VA medical opinion concluded that the Veteran's death was not proximately related to his December 2007 fall at a VA facility, but rather due to other pre-existing and concurrent health issues such as dementia, urinary retention, malnutrition, and multiple decubitus ulcers.
- Claimed conditions
- sepsis, encephalopathy, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 23, 2017
- Citation
- 1705591
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 1705591.
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 insufficient evidence regarding the cause of death and its relation to service. The Veteran's atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and colon cancer are being evaluated for their relationship to toxic exposure during service.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, kidney cancer, is not service-connected. The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death was not related to his military service or a service-connected disability.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for myocardial infarction, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and coronary artery disease was dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his claim.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic lung cancer, was found to be related to service and caused or contributed substantially to the Veteran's death. The Board granted entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death.
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