The Veteran's cause of death is related to his active duty service or Reserve service, but a VA medical opinion is needed to determine the exact nature and etiology.,The appellant has no legal basis for accrued benefits as there were no funds owed to the Veteran at the time of his death. The claim for nonservice-connected death pension benefits was denied due to the appellant's income exceeding the Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR).,Service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is remanded, and a VA medical opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's cause of death is related to his Reserve service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that an etiology opinion was necessary due to the lack of clear evidence linking the Veteran's cause of death to his active duty or Reserve service.,The appellant did not have any funds owed to her at the time of the Veteran's death, and thus had no legal basis for accrued benefits. The claim for nonservice-connected death pension benefits was denied because the appellant's income exceeded the Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR).,A VA medical opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's cause of death is related to his Reserve service.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive Heart Failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 28, 2023
- Citation
- 23024765
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 23024765.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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