The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, concluding that his alcohol-related condition was not related to his service-connected back disability and that he died from alcohol abuse.
The deciding factor: The veteran's death was attributed to alcohol abuse, which is not compensable under VA regulations. The Board found no evidence linking his death to his service-connected lumbosacral strain.
- Claimed conditions
- Aspiration pneumonia of the left lower lobe, Abscess due to probable sepsis, Fatty liver, Gastritis, Acute tubular necrosis of the kidneys
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 24, 2001
- Citation
- 0121495
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 0121495.
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
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