The Board found that the veteran did not have wartime service in the U.S. Armed Forces, and thus his survivors do not qualify for VA death pension benefits. The cause of the veteran's death (Koch's pneumonia) was not present during his peacetime service.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of Koch's pneumonia during the veteran's peacetime service in the U.S. Armed Forces, and the appellant's testimony about the condition prior to WWII is insufficient to establish its presence at that time.
- Claimed conditions
- Koch's pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2002
- Citation
- 0201055
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 0201055.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of his death.
- Denied
The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death. The claim was denied on the merits.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's fatal illnesses were not related to his service and denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
- Denied
The Board found no evidence linking the cause of death to service, and denied the claim for service connection for cause of the veteran's death.
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