The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and he did not have any permanent and total service-connected disabilities at the time of his death. Therefore, DEA benefits are denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died from an intraoral gunshot wound without having any service-connected disabilities or a grant for the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorders, Intraoral gunshot wound
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19105248
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,911 · Granted: 10% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19105248.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient explanation regarding whether the Veteran requires personal care services and if participation in PCAFC would be in his best interest. The matter is now on remand for further clarification.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board grants service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, to include PTSD, are rated at a total (100%) disability effective November 7, 2014.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability is denied because there was no pending increased rating claim and the lack of continuous pursuit prevents the Board from awarding an earlier effective date.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.