The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and his service-connected disabilities did not contribute substantially or materially to cause death.,The Appellant's income exceeded the maximum annual pension rate, preventing her from receiving survivor's pension.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that any service-connected disability contributed substantially or materially to the Veteran's cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- orthopedic disabilities of the lumbar and cervical spine, herniated nucleus pulposus with left leg radiculopathy, degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine with bilateral radiculopathy, tendonitis with degenerative joint disease in the AC joint of the left arm, bursitis with degenerative joint disease in the AC joint of the right arm, bursitis of the left and right hips, synovitis of the left and right knee, dysthymia, right elbow epicondylitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 15, 2024
- Citation
- A24075452
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,677 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A24075452.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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 claim of service connection for dysthymia due to inadequate medical opinions and the need for a new examination.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of recent VA examination, and it is recommended that the Veteran undergoes another examination to assess his current psychiatric disability.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including dysthymia, major depressive disorder, and PTSD, as of March 16, 2005. The decision is based on the evidence showing a formal diagnosis during active duty and consistent lay testimony.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected left knee and bilateral elbow disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation for any of the conditions.
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