The Board has determined that the appellant's income is less than the maximum annual pension rate (MAPR) for a survivor with no dependents, and thus she is entitled to nonservice-connected death pension benefits.
The deciding factor: The appellant's countable income was below the MAPR due to her medical expenses exceeding her income.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary hypertension, Heart valve disease, Pleural effusion, Atrial fibrillation, Mitral regurgitation, Degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis), Bacterial pneumonia, Cognitive impairment
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- August 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19160173
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,421 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19160173.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
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