The veteran's cause of death was due to pulmonary edema and lung cancer with metastasis, but his service-connected bronchial asthma did not contribute substantially or materially to the cause of death. The claim for asbestos exposure as a cause of death is denied.
The deciding factor: The primary cause of death was determined to be pulmonary edema and carcinoma of the left lung (left main bronchus) with metastasis, but the service-connected bronchial asthma did not substantially or materially contribute to the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary Edema, Carcinoma of the Lung (left main bronchus), Sigmoid Diverticulitis with recent perforation and presence of liquid feces in the low abdominal peritoneum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2002
- Citation
- 0203913
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 0203913.
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 of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his acute myelogenous leukemia to service or any exposure to ionizing radiation.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities effectively result in the permanent loss of use of both lower extremities, such as to preclude locomotion without the aid of braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair. As a result, he is entitled to specially adapted housing.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no disability rating is assigned.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred from December 12, 2009 to December 22, 2009 are granted as the emergency treatment was provided in a hospital emergency department and no VA facility was feasibly available.
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