jostema

Hi, My husband passed away in May of 2011. He was rated 100% S.C. for PTSD in March 2002. The death certificate lists Natural Causes from COPD as the cause of death. I filed a claim in June 2011 for DIC and was denied because cause of death was not service connected and I didn't qualify under the 10 year rule. Just recently I spoke with his mental health care Dr. at the local VA hospital where he was treated. His Dr said that in his opinion that my husbands PTSD contributed to his smoking and his difficulty in quitting and that smoking was the cause of his COPD which was the cause of his death. My question is ..can I file another claim to try and connect his COPD as secondary to his PTSD? or file another claim for DIC benefits with the information and the opinion I got from his Dr.? and what do you think my chances are if I did file a claim? Thank You.