The Board denied DIC and nonservice-connected survivor's pension based on lack of evidence of ionizing radiation exposure during service, and the appellant's income exceeded the maximum threshold for pension benefits.
The deciding factor: The most probative evidence did not show that the Veteran was exposed to ionizing radiation during military service, which is a requirement for DIC based on cause of death due to such exposure. The appellant's income also exceeded the maximum threshold for nonservice-connected survivor's pension.
- Claimed conditions
- sepsis, aspiration pneumonia, dementia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19163272
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 19163272.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for dementia, finding that it was aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected hearing loss disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for cause of death and dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) benefits due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding the appeal for service connection for cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for dementia, transient ischemic attacks (TIA), and stress, diagnosed as neurocognitive disorder, to secure adequate medical opinions addressing secondary service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for dementia, finding no evidence linking the Veteran's dementia to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.
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