The Board denied the veteran's claim for non-service connected death pension benefits and dependency and indemnity compensation based on service connection for the cause of his death, as well as accrued benefits. The decedent did not serve in active military service and thus was not considered a veteran for these purposes.
The deciding factor: The decedent had verified service with the Merchant Marine from December 1945 to January 1946, but this service does not qualify under VA laws as qualifying 'active duty' for benefits. The Board found that the decedent did not have a claim pending at his death and thus was not entitled to accrued benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19102090
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,987 · Granted: 15% (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 19102090.
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