The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death was incurred in the line of duty and not due to willful misconduct, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Appellant.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran’s cause of death was an accident in the line of duty or willful misconduct. The Board found that there was no clear indication as to how methadone entered her system and concluded it was more likely than not that this occurred accidentally.
- Claimed conditions
- Cause of death
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20050695
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 20050695.
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 an earlier effective date for service connection for the cause of death due to lack of receipt within one year of the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to consider new evidence regarding toxic exposure at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, and to issue another TERA memo.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's cause of death is not service-connected, and now requires further review to ensure proper notification regarding a hearing.
- Dismissed
The claim for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) has been dismissed as moot due to the grant of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
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