The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for the cause of his death and entitlement to dependents' educational assistance. The cause of death was listed as sepsis due to pneumonia, which the Board found not related to any service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there is no medical evidence linking the veteran's death to his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of use of the right hand, postoperative peptic ulcer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2000
- Citation
- 0028172
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 0028172.
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 an effective date of March 2, 2007, for the grant of service connection for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy and November 26, 2014, for COPD, emphysema, and asthma. The claims for earlier effective dates were denied.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's disability ratings for loss of use of the left foot and right hand were reduced, but the termination of benefits related to these disabilities is upheld.,Special Monthly Compensation, specially adapted housing benefits, automobile and adaptive equipment allowance, total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability (TDIU), and Dependents' Educational Assistance eligibility were all terminated.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran is granted a clothing allowance for the right wrist brace used in 2001 due to damage caused by the brace to his clothes.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for SMC based on loss of use of his right hand, finding that he still had some limited function and would not be equally well served by an amputation with a suitable prosthetic appliance.
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