The Board found that the veteran's service-connected conditions did not contribute to his death, and thus denied service connection for the cause of his death.
The deciding factor: Medical evidence showed that the veteran's nonservice-connected chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was more likely the cause of his respiratory failure than his service-connected pleurisy.
- Claimed conditions
- Anxiety reaction, Residuals of a rib resection, Pleurisy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 21, 2000
- Citation
- 0016391
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 0016391.
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: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for congestive heart failure (CHF) and remanded the claims for hypertension, pleurisy, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted a 10 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected pleurisy, finding that the symptoms produced moderate impairment of the thoracic muscle group.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) prior to June 12, 2024, and denied all other claims including service connection for various respiratory conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected anxiety reaction with insomnia symptoms has rendered him unemployable, and the Board finds that he meets the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
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