The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by or substantially contributed to by a disability incurred in or aggravated by active service, specifically his reported in-service frostbite while on active duty in Korea. The Appellant's claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is therefore granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran experienced frostbite during active service in Korea and this injury contributed to multiple severe post-service complications, including peripheral vascular disease, multiple strokes, chronic venous stasis, and diabetes mellitus which led to his death. The medical evidence supports a causal relationship between the Veteran's in-service frostbite and his post-service health issues.
- Claimed conditions
- aspiration pneumonia, dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), peripheral vascular disease, multiple strokes, chronic venous stasis, diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 25, 2017
- Citation
- 1742110
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 1742110.
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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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
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