The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and his service-connected PTSD did not contribute to his death. The appeal for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is denied as the Veteran had not been receiving or entitled to receive compensation for service-connected disability that was continuously rated totally disabling for at least 10 years immediately preceding death.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish that any disease causing the Veteran's death is attributable to a service-connected disability, and his PTSD did not contribute to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Hodgkins lymphoma, prostate cancer, pulmonary nodules
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19128214
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer, related to in-service exposures at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is granted an effective date of April 25, 2014, for service connection for prostate cancer.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of service connection for prostate cancer to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's toxic exposure risk activities.
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