The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and multiple musculoskeletal conditions, contributed to his death from sepsis due to a decubitus ulcer. The Board found that these disabilities rendered him materially less capable of resisting the effects of other causes of death.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, particularly his 100% rated bilateral hearing loss and multiple musculoskeletal conditions, contributed substantially to his near-total functional impairment and malnutrition, which ultimately caused his death from sepsis due to a decubitus ulcer.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Postoperative urethral stricture, Left shoulder bursitis with ankylosis, Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, Bilateral lower extremity weakness, Hypertension, Post pulmonary emboli, Rectal polyps, Small forehead laceration, Laminectomy scar, Erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- January 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19101628
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,455 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19101628.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
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