The veteran died from COPD, but his service-connected heart disease and duodenal ulcer did not contribute to his death.,The appellant's claim for basic eligibility for dependents' educational assistance was denied as the veteran had no permanent total disability rating at the time of his death.
The deciding factor: Service connection for COPD could not be established, and the service-connected heart disease and duodenal ulcer did not contribute substantially to the cause of death.,The veteran's service-connected disabilities were insufficient to meet the criteria for basic eligibility under Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code.
- Claimed conditions
- {"conditionName":"Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)"}, {"conditionName":"Organic Heart Disease"}, {"conditionName":"Residuals from a Duodenal Ulcer"}, {"conditionName":"Right Arm Scars and Burns"}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2000
- Citation
- 0000816
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0000816.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's asthma is proximately due to his prolonged exposure to extreme cold and coal ash while on active duty, and therefore service connection for asthma is granted.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for acquired heart disease, COPD, neck disability, back disability, and psychiatric disability to include depression. The appellant is seeking service connection for these conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for Barrett's Esophagitis and increased disability ratings for COPD and IVDS of the lumbar spine, finding no evidence linking these conditions to service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection for his claimed conditions, finding that the evidence did not support a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss or service connection for skin cancer, hypertension, COPD, or chronic bronchitis based on herbicide exposure. The veteran's current disabilities were found to be unrelated to service.
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