The Board denied service connection for the cause of death and for rheumatoid arthritis. The Veteran's death was attributed to pneumonia, which was not related to his service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion found that the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Rheumatoid Arthritis, Pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20048580
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 20048580.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that none of the listed causes were related to his military service and no service-connected disability contributed to his death.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for cause of death, finding that his service-connected conditions did not contribute to his death. The evidence showed well-controlled heart symptoms prior to death and no causal relationship between anxiety and cardiopulmonary disease or renal failure.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him in need of regular aid and attendance, warranting SMC based on the need for aid and attendance from March 24, 2017.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 were not met.
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