The Veteran's surviving spouse was granted special monthly pension benefits based on a need for aid and attendance. The appellant, the son of the Veteran, filed an application seeking accrued benefits due to his deceased mother. He was awarded $1,496.89 in accrued benefits to reimburse him for funeral expenses but denied for other expenses related to her last sickness.
The deciding factor: The death certificate indicated that the last sickness had its onset 21 days before death and therefore the assisted living expenses from 2010 and 2011 were not considered to be related to her last sickness.
- Claimed conditions
- Cerebrovascular accident, Atrial fibrillation, Ischemic cardiomyopathy, Essential hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2017
- Citation
- 1760619
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 1760619.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disability, ischemic cardiomyopathy, and other disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since December 29, 2020. Effective from that date, the Veteran is granted TDIU and SMC housebound.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his heart condition was not related to his military service and could not be presumed due to herbicide exposure. The Board also found insufficient evidence linking his heart condition to asbestos exposure during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to SMC based on the need for aid and attendance for the Veteran's spouse due to conflicting information in the June 2025 examination. A VA examination is needed to determine if the spouse requires regular aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death (acute respiratory failure, atrial fibrillation, and/or hypertension) is related to his active duty service, including from exposure to toxins and chemicals from open burn pits during the harsh winters in Korea. The Board finds a pre-decisional duty to assist error and remands for obtaining a VA medical opinion.
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