The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death is not related to service, including any alleged Agent Orange exposure or cigarette smoking during service. The claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance benefits under Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code, is also denied.
The deciding factor: There was no medical evidence showing a direct relationship between the cause of death and military service, including alleged Agent Orange exposure or cigarette smoking.
- Claimed conditions
- Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2001
- Citation
- 0102901
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 0102901.
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: Denied
The VA medical opinions determined that the Veteran's cause of death (adult respiratory distress syndrome due to pneumonia) was not related to his active duty service. The examiner also noted that obesity, which preexisted service and did not worsen during service, was less likely than not etiologically related to the Veteran's active duty service. Sleep apnea, diagnosed after separation from service, could not be determined to have been caused by service without resorting to speculation.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the cause of death was Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome, which is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to service or Agent Orange exposure. The claim for Dependent's Educational Assistance was also denied.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, finding that there was no causal connection between his exposure to asbestos and his respiratory insufficiency at the time of death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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