The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, which required surgery and was related to his service-connected lower extremity radiculopathy due to cold injuries sustained in service, contributed significantly to his cause of death. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the medical evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability was in equipoise and resolved all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, finding that his lumbar spine disability was secondary to his service-connected lower extremity radiculopathy due to cold injuries sustained in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Myocardial infarction, lumbar spine disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 27, 2022
- Citation
- 22055110
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 22055110.
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 the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his myocardial infarction and COPD to his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as these issues have been addressed in a separate docket.
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