The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to his service-connected ischemic heart disease and posttraumatic stress disorder. The Veteran was awarded a total disability rating at the time of his death.
The deciding factor: The April 2025 private opinion provided by the physician who treated the Veteran during his hospitalization supported the conclusion that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his cause of death, which was pneumonia (COVID-19 and bacteria).
- Claimed conditions
- posttraumatic stress disorder, ischemic heart disease, hypothyroidism, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- April 23, 2026
- Citation
- A26038364
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 A26038364.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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