The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that the evidence did not support a conclusion that any service-connected condition caused or contributed to his death.
The deciding factor: The VA hepatologist concluded that Hepatic Encephalopathy was not a credible cause of death and that the veteran's left knee surgery could not be held responsible for hastening his death due to alcohol abuse.
- Claimed conditions
- metabolic encephalopathy, end stage liver cirrhosis, chronic alcohol dependence and abuse
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 25, 2000
- Citation
- 0019449
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 0019449.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for the cause of death and burial benefits due to a lack of medical opinion regarding the Veteran's exposure at Camp Lejeune, which could impact his eligibility for these benefits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error in not obtaining a medical opinion regarding whether there is a relationship between the Veteran's cause of death, metabolic encephalopathy, and his in-service history of abnormal glucose level or diabetes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cause of death is being remanded for a VA medical opinion to determine if his conditions are related to service or herbicide exposure. The claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 remains denied as the Veteran was not rated 100% disabled at any point.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic esophageal cancer with metabolic encephalopathy, is not related to his military service and therefore the claim for service connection for the cause of death is denied.
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