The Board denied DIC benefits, finding that VA did not cause the Veteran's death through negligence or error. The Veteran died from septic shock due to bowel perforation, which was a known risk of surgery but not caused by VA.
The deciding factor: VA provided appropriate care and informed consent for the hip surgery, and there were no unforeseeable events that contributed to the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Hip pain, Peritonitis, Wegener's granulomatosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 11, 2024
- Citation
- 24011387
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 24011387.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VHA decision denying PCAFC benefits was inadequate due to insufficient discussion of relevant medical evidence and remanded for further action.
- Denied
The Board denied DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that VA did not provide carelessness, negligence, or lack of proper skill in furnishing medical treatment.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that her service-connected PTSD contributed to her developing ovarian cancer which led to peritonitis and ultimately caused her death.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for Wegener's granulomatosis, a recurrent kidney disability, and a recurrent bladder disability. The claim for an earlier effective date was denied, as well as the claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis.
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