The Board denied the appellant's claim of service connection for the cause of her husband's death, finding that drug abuse, PTSD, and/or AIDS were not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The veteran's IV drug use was found to be unrelated to his service-connected disabilities (PTSD and malaria) and did not contribute substantially or materially to the cause of his death from AIDS.
- Claimed conditions
- Cryptococcal meningitis, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 15, 2000
- Citation
- 0024620
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 0024620.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 60 percent for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) with pneumonia is being remanded due to the need for an adequate VA examination.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's HIV/AIDS rating is being remanded due to the possibility of worsening and progression of the disease pattern.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death from AIDS is denied as there is no evidence linking his service to the development of AIDS.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that there was no service connection for AIDS, and the Veteran's death from AIDS did not result from a service-connected disability. The claim is denied.
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