The Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected PTSD, which aggravated his alcohol abuse and liver disease. The Board finds that the criteria for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death are met.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected PTSD aggravated his alcohol abuse, leading to liver cirrhosis and cardiac arrest, contributing substantially to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Alcohol abuse, Cirrhosis of the liver, Cardiac arrest
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2018
- Citation
- 1806429
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 1806429.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and therefore denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of his death.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder with alcohol abuse is at least as likely as not related to service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Dismissed
Your appeal for a higher rating for PTSD has been dismissed because the maximum possible rating (100%) was already granted in a previous decision.
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