The Board has granted DIC benefits for the Veteran's death due to a stage IV sacral decubitus ulcer that developed as a result of VA negligence during his hospitalization, and this ulcer contributed directly to his cause of death from sepsis.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence established that the Veteran developed a stage IV sacral pressure ulcer as a result of VA's use of physical and chemical restraints, which was considered negligent. The Board found that the ulcer likely caused the Veteran's death due to complications such as sepsis.
- Claimed conditions
- stage IV sacral decubitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20070176
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,071 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20070176.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether VA was negligent in providing care during the Veteran's hospitalization, which may have contributed to his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to uncertainty regarding whether the Veteran's death was caused by improper VA care, and if so, whether it contributed to his cause of death. The appellant claims that her husband developed a pressure ulcer during his VA hospitalization which led to his death.
- Denied
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- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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