The Board has determined that the Veteran's strangulated umbilical hernia disability, which could have been service-connected prior to his death, contributed materially to his cause of death. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's strangulated umbilical hernia disability was related to his service-connected PTSD and obesity as an intermediate step, contributing substantially or materially to his cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- strangulated umbilical hernia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2026
- Citation
- A26005240
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 A26005240.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
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