The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to his death. His cause of death was listed as acute respiratory failure with myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected conditions were not shown to have caused or contributed substantially to his death, nor were they related to any other diagnosed conditions he had at the time of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- myelopathy, cervical, post traumatic, scar, gunshot wound, right neck, muscle group XXIII, scar, gunshot wound, left neck, muscle group XXIII, residual of fracture spinous process of 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th cervical vertebrae with no limitation of motion, limitation of right elbow extension, slight
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- January 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19106543
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for cause of death to ensure all available service treatment records are obtained and an additional medical opinion is provided.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, considering that his service-connected orthopedic disabilities and major depressive disorder contributed substantially to his death.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for initial increased ratings for thoracolumbar spine arthritis, cervical spine arthritis, bilateral lower extremity femoral radiculopathy, and a scar.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matters of an initial compensable rating for hemorrhoid and service connection for a scar, to include as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hemorrhoid disability due to inadequate VA examination and missing medical records.
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