The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by end stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is service-connected due to his nicotine dependence developed during military service. The Board granted the claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The evidence established that the veteran's nicotine dependence and subsequent COPD were related to his smoking habits initiated in service, leading to a determination of direct service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- End stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 19, 2002
- Citation
- 0206556
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 0206556.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was due to contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune, and the Board has ordered a remand for further investigation.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence that his death was caused by a disability incurred in service.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking the cause of death (end stage COPD) to either service or a service-connected disability.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the appellant's claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is well grounded and will be further developed.
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