The Veteran's death was not service-connected, and he did not meet the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the cause of death to military service or a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic stress disorder, Prostate cancer, Residuals of neuralgia, Erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19105965
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 9, 2022, for the grant of service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder with generalized anxiety disorder, other specified depressive disorder, and alcohol use disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 29, 2019 for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder but denied earlier effective dates and increased ratings for other conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and personality disorder, due to the need for further development of the record.
- Granted
The Board restored the Veteran's 100 percent disability rating for his service-connected prostate cancer, effective September 1, 2024.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.