The Veteran's death is not service-connected, and the appellant seeks nonservice-connected burial benefits. The claim for pension benefits pending at the time of his death must be adjudicated first before deciding on the burial benefit claim.
The deciding factor: The claim for nonservice-connected burial benefits requires consideration of whether the Veteran had any compensation or pension claims pending at the time of death, which necessitates adjudicating the pension claim first.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19148689
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
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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.