The Board finds that the Veteran's cause of death, hypoxic encephalopathy, was not caused or substantially contributed to by a service-connected disability. The appellant has not provided sufficient evidence to establish that diabetes mellitus type II, presumed due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam, caused or contributed to the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion could not determine if diabetes mellitus type II contributed to the cause of death as there were no records available for review. The private opinions are conflicting and do not provide a clear determination on causation.
- Claimed conditions
- hypoxic encephalopathy, cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, endocarditis, diabetes mellitus type II
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 8, 2018
- Citation
- 1808157
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 1808157.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II, diabetic nephropathy, and prostate cancer. The issues of entitlement to special monthly compensation based on housebound status and eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) are remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction, which is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II and panic disorder with insomnia. The decision finds that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the erectile dysfunction was caused by these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted a 20% rating for diabetes mellitus type II from June 20, 2020. The right ankle scar claim is remanded due to the Veteran's failure to report for a scheduled examination. The GERD secondary to diabetes mellitus claim and TDIU issue are also remanded.
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