The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and his DIC benefits claim under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 was denied.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing that the Veteran’s service-connected conditions caused or contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- panic disorder with major depressive disorder, radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, cervical spine disability, left shoulder disability, back disability, pansinusitis with headaches, hiatal hernia with reflux, chondromalacia of the right and left knees, chondromalacia of the right patella with degenerative changes, bursitis of the hips, right elbow disability, chronic prostatitis, tinea versicolor, temporomandibular myofascitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19180540
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and chronic pain syndrome due to untimely notices of disagreement.
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