The Veteran's death was caused by acute 1, 1-diuofloroethane toxicity. The Board finds the VA opinion inadequate and requests an addendum to address whether his PTSD or service-connected lumbar spine disability contributed to his death.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not consider the Appellant's lay statements regarding the Veteran's use of inhalants as a means of self-medicating for PTSD symptoms, which could have contributed to his death due to acute 1, 1-diuofloroethane toxicity.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute 1, 1-diuofloroethane toxicity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2024
- Citation
- 24000604
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,185 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24000604.
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
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