The Veteran's cause of death, a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, was determined to be the result of an injury during his INACDUTRA (inactive duty training) period. The Board found that service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is warranted due to the evidence being in equipoise as to whether the injury led to the rupture.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions were in equipoise, with one indicating the aneurysm was not related to injury and another stating it was related to stress from National Guard duty leading to increased blood pressure.
- Claimed conditions
- ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2021
- Citation
- 21030822
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 21030822.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and determined that July 30, 2012 is the earliest effective date allowed. The decision does not address any other issues or provide a rating assigned.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cause of the Veteran’s death and denied nonservice-connected death pension benefits. The Veteran died from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, multiple-organ system failure, shock, and hypertension. There was no evidence linking his death to service or any service-connected disability.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and the appellant's son does not meet the basic requirements for educational assistance under Chapter 35 of Title 38 U.S.C.
- Denied
The Veteran died of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, with acute renal failure and hypertension as the underlying cause. The Board found no service connection for ischemic heart disease or any other conditions that could have caused the death.
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