The Board has granted an earlier effective date of June 8, 1987 for the grant of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits due to a suicide caused by service-connected mental health issues.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on evidence showing the Veteran's mental health issues were related to military service and his suicide was considered evidence of mental unsoundness.
- Claimed conditions
- Anxiety reaction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19191458
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 19191458.
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.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for the cause of death and granted it, finding that the Veteran's anxiety reaction caused or aggravated his heart conditions leading to his death.
- Denied
The veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the surviving spouse is not entitled to DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for failure to present valid claims of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in rating decisions from 1950 and 1956.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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