The Veteran's death was caused by suicide, which is deemed to be a result of his service-connected acquired psychiatric disability. The Board finds that the appellant has presented credible evidence showing the Veteran had symptoms of an acquired psychiatric disability prior to and during service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran exhibited signs of depression and suicidal ideation both before and after service, contributing substantially to his suicide in December 2015.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disability
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2018
- Citation
- 1804596
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 1804596.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cirrhosis, hepatitis C, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastritis, Barrett's esophagus, and obstructive sleep apnea but dismissed the claim for an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for her acquired psychiatric disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, as the evidence did not support a finding that his current mental health conditions were related to his active duty service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a disability rating in excess of 50 percent for an acquired psychiatric disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.
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