The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by her service-connected conditions, and thus denied service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided did not establish a direct link between the Veteran’s service-connected conditions and her death.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary thromboembolism, Deep vein thrombosis, Venous stasis due to pelvic obstruction caused by uterine leiomyoma (uterine fibroids), Obesity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20076791
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 20076791.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that it is secondary to her service-connected PTSD and obesity. The decision also acknowledges the Veteran's participation in a TERA during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, as it is unclear whether his condition is caused or aggravated by his service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities and obesity. The AOJ will need to provide a VA examination to clarify these issues.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there is no competent evidence to suggest that PTSD contributed to his passing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the onset and causation of the Veteran's OSA. The AOJ is required to obtain an addendum opinion from a qualified examiner to address these issues.
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