The veteran's death was not caused by VA hospital care, treatment or examination. The appellant's claims for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 and accrued benefits are denied as the veteran had no pending claims at the time of his death.
The deciding factor: The veteran's death was due to a fall prior to hospitalization, which resulted in a fractured femur and bleeding esophageal varices. The appellant's claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 is denied as the cause of the fall cannot be attributed to VA care or treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- bleeding esophageal varices, hepatic cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 31, 2000
- Citation
- 0023300
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 0023300.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, which was due to hepatic cirrhosis that was found to be proximately due to or a result of his service-connected generalized anxiety disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hepatic cirrhosis as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hepatitis C.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not service-connected due to the lack of evidence linking his cause of death (hepatic cirrhosis) to service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence of in-service exposure to Agent Orange and that the Veteran's conditions did not have their onset or manifest within one year of discharge. The Board also found that the Veteran's conditions were not otherwise causally related to his military service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.