The Veteran's death is considered to be service-connected, but the cause of his death—sepsis syndrome—is not attributed to his service or a service-connected condition. The Board found that medications taken for his lumbar spine disability did not contribute to his death.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the conditions listed on the Veteran's death certificate were not related to service, including as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- sepsis syndrome, streptococcal pneumonic meningitis, Stephens-Johnson Syndrome, acute renal failure from sepsis, hepatic cholestasis, acute respiratory failure
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 5, 2018
- Citation
- 18116207
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 18116207.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for the cause of death and burial benefits due to a lack of medical opinion regarding the Veteran's exposure at Camp Lejeune, which could impact his eligibility for these benefits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his cause of death. The examiner is requested to address if the Veteran's service-connected disabilities were a principal or contributory cause of death and if they contributed substantially or materially to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore his surviving spouse is denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's in-service injury and breathing complaints caused his death. The appellant seeks service connection for the cause of death, which is related to exposure to toxins in service and an in-service injury involving machinery.
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