The Board has determined that the veteran's death was not caused by or related to any service-connected disability, and thus denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a finding that liver carcinoma or hepatic encephalopathy were incurred in or aggravated by service, or are otherwise related to a service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Liver Carcinoma, Hepatic Encephalopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2002
- Citation
- 0218793
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 0218793.
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 death was caused by metabolic and respiratory acidosis due to hepatic encephalopathy, liver failure, and chronic liver disease. The Board found that the Veteran's alcohol abuse in an attempt to self-medicate his PTSD symptoms contributed to the development of his liver conditions and ultimately led to his death.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to hepatitis C which was related to service and contributed to his liver cancer.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected seizure disorder did not cause or contribute substantially to his death due to liver cirrhosis and related complications, which were not shown to be causally related to service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was caused by a liver disorder, not related to his service-connected seizure disorder. The Board found no evidence linking the liver condition to the seizure disorder.
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