The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is considered to have contributed substantially or materially to his death from senile degeneration of the brain, which was found to be a contributory cause of death.
The deciding factor: The severity and impact of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss exacerbated his dementia, contributing to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- senile degeneration of the brain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2023
- Citation
- A23027895
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 A23027895.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the cause of death and its relation to service-connected conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was attributed to natural causes, and there is no evidence that any service-connected disability contributed to his death. The Board found the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death denied as there was no exposure to herbicide agents or other conditions during service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death was attributed to senile degeneration of the brain, with his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the spine considered a significant contributing factor. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death based on this evidence.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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