The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not contribute to his death. The appellant and her son argued that the veteran's death was related to his service-connected conditions, but the VA medical opinions found no evidence supporting this contention.
The deciding factor: VA medical opinions determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities were not the primary cause of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Intervertebral Disc Syndrome, Varicose Veins
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2002
- Citation
- 0201023
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 0201023.
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 denied service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for insomnia, fatigue, gallstones, varicose veins, anemia, colitis, and PTSD due to a lack of evidence supporting the claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for additional development, including obtaining a new examination and further developing evidence related to toxic exposure during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as a pre-decisional duty to assist error was found regarding the Veteran's COPD, and he needs an appropriate VA examination.
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