The claim for DIC based on service connection for the cause of death has been reopened.,DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 have been denied as the Veteran was not in receipt of VA disability compensation at the time of his death.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's scleroderma is not related to service, including exposure to herbicide agents or solvents.
- Claimed conditions
- Scleroderma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19170598
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19170598.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was caused by acute/chronic respiratory failure secondary to scleroderma, a condition not service-connected. The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence linking the disability to military service.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for Parkinson's disease, to include as secondary to herbicide exposure. The claim for scleroderma was remanded.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension, renal cyst, renal toxicity, and coronary artery disease (CAD) as secondary to the service-connected conditions. Scleroderma was denied.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's disability rating for scleroderma with polyarthralgia and Raynaud's phenomenon was reduced from 60% to 40%, but the Board has restored the original 60% rating due to severe exacerbations.
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