The Board denied entitlement to accrued benefits, DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318, and service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to lack of pending claims at death and insufficient evidence linking death to service. The Board remanded the claim for nonservice-connected survivor's pension benefits to obtain a VA examination regarding the appellant's permanent incapacity for self-support prior to age 18 and to obtain SSA records.
The deciding factor: The accrued benefits and DIC claims were denied as a matter of law due to absence of pending claims at death and failure to meet continuous total disability ratings, while the service connection claim for cause of death was denied due to lack of medical evidence or specific contention establishing an etiological relationship between the Veteran's death and service, and the pension benefits claim was remanded to obtain a retrospective medical opinion and SSA records regarding the appellant's permanent incapacity.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD, Left ear hearing loss, Schizoaffective disorder, depressed type, Drug-induced Parkinsonism
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2025
- Citation
- A25034642
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, as well as presumptive service connection for basal cell carcinoma under the PACT Act. Service connection was denied for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, left restless leg syndrome, an increased rating for psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a left forehead surgical scar, and allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, as the Veteran did not have a diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric disorder during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
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