The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by nicotine dependence acquired during service, and denied both the claim for service connection for cause of death due to nicotine dependence and the DIC claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish that the veteran became nicotine dependent while on active duty, and there were conflicting opinions regarding the conditions contributing to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Cardiac arrest, Pulmonary embolus, Metastatic adenocarcinoma of the rectum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 15, 2001
- Citation
- 0104640
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 0104640.
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.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and therefore denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to obtain relevant SSA records that could provide information pertinent to the Veteran's appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence that a disability incurred in or aggravated by service either caused or contributed substantially to his cardiac arrest.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death on a basis other than the PACT Act, finding that there was no evidence to support exposure to herbicide agents during service in Thailand.
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