The application to reopen the claim for entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, to include entitlement to DIC is denied. The appellant's late husband had no qualifying period of service with the United States Armed Forces and therefore is not eligible for nonservice-connected death pension benefits.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service in the Philippine Scouts did not qualify under the regular component of the active military, naval or air service of the United States Armed Forces. The appellant was denied entitlement to nonservice-connected death pension because her late husband had no qualifying period of service with the United States Armed Forces.
- Claimed conditions
- cause of death
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19143141
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.
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The Board remands the claim for a clarifying opinion on whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused his death through obesity as an intermediate step.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to service connection for cause of death due to a need for additional evidence, specifically an autopsy report and a medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, to include as a result of exposure to ionizing radiation, due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to service connection for cause of death due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error and the need for a VA medical opinion.
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