The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and eligibility for dependents' educational assistance under Chapter 35. The appellant did not meet the legal criteria for these benefits.
The deciding factor: The veteran died from end stage liver disease due to hepato-cellular carcinoma, which was not service-connected or related to any of his service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- end stage liver disease, hepato-cellular carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2002
- Citation
- 0206251
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 0206251.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development and adjudication, including obtaining medical opinions to address the appellant's contentions regarding the cause of her husband's death and whether VA treatment caused or worsened his fatal conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for lung cancer, acute renal failure, end stage liver disease, and diabetes mellitus as these conditions are not related to service or service-connected conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's fatal end stage liver disease was at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected schizophrenia, including medications prescribed for treatment. Therefore, service connection for cause of death is granted.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate medical opinions and confusion regarding the Appellant's claims. The Veteran died of end stage liver disease, which may have been caused or aggravated by his service-connected schizophrenia.
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