The Veteran's cause of death was not due to a service-connected disability.,The Appellant is entitled to non-service-connected death pension benefits as he is considered a helpless child.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and there is no evidence linking his death to any service-connected condition. The Appellant, being the Veteran's son who was permanently incapable of self-support at age 18 due to a gunshot injury, qualifies for non-service-connected death pension benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- cause of death not related to service-connected disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 26, 2017
- Citation
- 1713650
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 1713650.
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
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