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Denied

The Board found that the appellant is not a helpless child on the basis of permanent incapacity for self-support before attaining the age of 18 years and denied her claim for death pension benefits.

The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the appellant was permanently incapable of self-support by reason of mental or physical defect prior to her 18th birthday, as she testified that she was 'pretty much' self-sufficient as an adult and had sporadic employment after turning 18.

Claimed conditions
Not specified in this decision
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
March 31, 2017
Citation
1710361

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 1710361.

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