The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was due to an event not reasonably foreseeable, specifically a blood stream infection in his debilitated condition. As such, compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran’s prolonged hospital course and subsequent acute demise from respiratory distress and septic shock were not reasonably foreseeable given his complex medical issues.
- Claimed conditions
- Respiratory arrest, Sepsis, Bacteremia, Left ventricular mass
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19162866
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 19162866.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death and entitlement to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under 38 USC § 1151 due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death, to include sepsis, MSSA bacteremia, and immunosuppression, due to in-service exposure to Agent Orange.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, agreeing that his military service was a contributing factor in his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death in January 2019 is being remanded due to a duty to assist error, and the Board will obtain an addendum opinion regarding the cause of death and whether VA negligence contributed.
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