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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 964 · Granted: 37% (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 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.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD was granted with an initial evaluation of 50 percent, effective September 24, 2007. The appeal regarding the heart condition and sleep disorder is denied. The Veteran's hearing loss prior to August 24, 2015, warrants a 20 percent rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran meets the basic medical eligibility criteria for PCAFC benefits due to his need for personal care services based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury. However, further clinical evaluation is needed to determine if participation in the program is in the Veteran's best interest.
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