The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's death to his military service, and denied claims for service connection for cause of death and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance.
The deciding factor: There was no medical evidence showing a nexus between the veteran's lung disease or chronic bronchitis in service and his fatal pulmonary emphysema. The service records did not show any diagnosis of anemias, and the appellant could not provide sufficient evidence to establish service connection for cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary Emphysema, Anasarca
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 14, 2001
- Citation
- 0122531
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 0122531.
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 Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his causes of death to in-service exposure to herbicide agents or asbestos.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's chronic bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema were granted a 30 percent disability rating from February 8, 2017 to October 29, 2019.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's pulmonary emphysema is rated at 100% from October 18, 2013 to August 24, 2016. SMC at the housebound rate is granted for this period.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of the issue of entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD has been dismissed as he wishes to withdraw his appeal.
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