The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death and for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits. The veteran died from lung cancer, with contributing disabilities including Crohn's disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and tuberculosis. The Board found that his service-connected resection of the large and small intestines did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence established that the veteran's service-connected intestinal disorder did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from lung cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- Lung cancer, Crohn's disease with history of bowel resection, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Tuberculosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2001
- Citation
- 0113520
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 0113520.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's liver, lung, brain, and bone cancers in relation to his service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as none of the listed causes were related to his period of active duty or presumed exposure to herbicides.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including thoracolumbar spine disability, bilateral knee and hip disabilities, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, COPD, and denied an initial rating higher than 50 percent for MDD with GAD.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, finding no current disability and insufficient evidence of an in-service event or exposure.
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