The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type 2 substantially or materially contributed to his death, and thus grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided link the Veteran's diabetes to his asystolic arrest and bradycardia, which led to his death. The Board found this evidence in equipoise, granting service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.
- Claimed conditions
- prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus type 2, peripheral neuropathy of bilateral upper and lower extremities, erectile dysfunction, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005898
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- 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).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer, related to in-service exposures at Camp Lejeune.
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