The Board remands the claim for service connection for cause of death due to a need for additional evidence and an adequate medical examination.

The deciding factor: The examination was found inadequate as it did not address the 'medical event' that caused the Veteran's fatal accident, and video evidence may be available to help substantiate the claim.

Claimed conditions

Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Migraine Headaches due to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Lumbar Spine Degenerative Arthritis, Right and Left Wrist Degenerative Arthritis, Right and Left Knee Degenerative Arthritis, Right Ankle Degenerative Arthritis, Right and Left Shoulder Strain, Cervical Spine Degenerative Arthritis, Right and Left Hip Strain, Tinnitus, Cognitive Dysfunction as a Residual of TBI, Noncompensable Left and Right Hand Degenerative Joint Disease, Noncompensable Left Ankle, Right Foot, and Left Foot Degenerative Joint Disease, Noncompensable Hypertension, Noncompensable Erectile Dysfunction, Noncompensable Scars of the Right Shoulder, Right Knee, and Eczema of the Legs, Noncompensable Pseudofolliculitis Barbae

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

October 29, 2025

Citation

A25093773

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine