The Board has determined that the Veteran's trauma-related disorder, which began during service and continued after service, contributed substantially to his suicide via gunshot wound. The claim for service connection for the cause of death is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found reasonable doubt in favor of the appellant regarding whether the Veteran's trauma-related disorder caused his suicide, leading to a grant of service connection for the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Trauma-related disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 27, 2021
- Citation
- 21065764
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21065764.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for a chronic acquired psychiatric disorder, variously diagnosed as PTSD, trauma-related disorder, unspecified anxiety disorder, unspecified depressive disorder, and insomnia.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was granted. Service connection was also established for major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, and trauma-related disorder. The Veteran's back disability is now rated at 40 percent from January 24, 2022.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU, finding that his unemployability was due to nonservice-connected disabilities such as COPD, obesity, and bilateral knee disabilities, rather than service-connected CAD.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection of his psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and other mental health conditions, is being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions and incomplete verification of claimed stressors.
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