The Board has granted the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, finding that his type II diabetes mellitus contributed to his death from COPD and congestive heart failure. The Board considered all evidence including medical records and opinions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran had a history of significant medical problems such as COPD, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, hypertension, anemia, and renal insufficiency, which contributed to his death from COPD and congestive heart failure. The diabetes mellitus was considered a contributing factor but not the primary cause.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Type II Diabetes Mellitus, Congestive Heart Failure
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19103381
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 service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for type II diabetes mellitus, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for COPD as secondary to diabetes and denied increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy conditions, while dismissing claims related to upper extremity neuropathy.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a higher level of special monthly compensation (SMC) as he does not meet the criteria for an increased rate based on his service-connected disabilities.
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