The Board found that the veteran's service-connected conditions did not substantially or materially contribute to his cause of death, which was due to atherosclerotic disease and aneurysm.
The deciding factor: VA medical opinions indicated no causal relationship between the veteran's service-connected conditions and his cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Postoperative hemigastrectomy and vagotomy for duodenal ulcer, Irritable colon, Postoperative appendectomy scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2002
- Citation
- 0204424
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 0204424.
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: Granted
The Veteran's resection of large intestine, colon cancer, and irritable colon has been granted a disability rating of 30 percent.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's TBI is rated at 40 percent from June 27, 2019 to March 17, 2021. The rating for the period prior to June 27, 2019 and after March 17, 2021 remains unchanged.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment for the periods specified, leading to a grant of TDIU.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and denied DIC benefits based on need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that any service-connected disability caused or contributed to the Veteran's death.
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