The Board has determined that the Veteran's varicose veins, which developed during his active duty service, contributed substantially and materially to his death from pulmonary embolus. The Board finds that there is at least equipoise of evidence regarding this issue.
The deciding factor: The March 2018 VA opinion found that the Veteran's in-service appendectomy was a risk factor for developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and given the Veteran's death occurred 15 years after the surgery, the probability that the appendectomy contributed to his death is less than 50 percent. However, the examiner noted that varicose veins were also identified as a potential risk factor in the Veteran's case.
- Claimed conditions
- Varicose veins
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 18, 2018
- Citation
- 1823121
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 1823121.
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 Board dismissed the appeal for a compensable rating for hypertension and granted service connection for varicose veins on a secondary basis to hypertension.
- Granted
The Veteran's limitations in performing activities of daily living are consistent with being unable to sustain himself in the community, warranting Tier 2 benefits under the PCAFC program.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's right ankle disability and denied service connection for varicose veins secondary to her right ankle disability.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the death of the Appellant during its pendency.
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