The Board finds that the Veteran's service in Vietnam and any combat exposure therein likely caused his acquired psychiatric disorder, which contributed to his death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. As such, the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence is in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's service in Vietnam and any combat exposure therein caused his acquired psychiatric disorder, which materially contributed to his death due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2018
- Citation
- 1801541
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 1801541.
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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- Remanded (sent back)
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