The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the Appellant seeks recognition as his helpless child on the basis of permanent incapacity for self-support prior to age 18. The Board finds new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen this claim.,Service in the Philippine Commonwealth Army is not qualifying service for nonservice-connected death pension benefits. The Veteran did not have any claims pending at the time of his death, nor did he file a claim for accrued benefits within one year of his death. Therefore, entitlement to these benefits is denied.,The Veteran's only service-connected disabilities were bilateral hearing loss and PTSD. There is no evidence that these conditions caused or contributed substantially to his death from cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to sepsis secondary to community acquired pneumonia.
The deciding factor: The Appellant submitted new medical evidence diagnosing her with mental retardation, which could potentially render her incapable of self-support prior to age 18. This evidence relates to an unestablished fact necessary to reopen the claim for recognition as a helpless child.,Service in the Philippine Commonwealth Army is not qualifying service for nonservice-connected death pension benefits. The Veteran did not have any claims pending at the time of his death, nor did he file a claim for accrued benefits within one year of his death.,The Veteran's only service-connected disabilities were bilateral hearing loss and PTSD. There is no evidence that these conditions caused or contributed substantially to his death from cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to sepsis secondary to community acquired pneumonia.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20012157
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 20012157.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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