The Board found that the veteran did not die of chronic respiratory disability and denied both service connection for the cause of death and accrued benefits.
The deciding factor: The terminal records showed clear lungs, indicating no chronic respiratory disease at the time of death. The appellant's statements about past lung issues were considered but did not establish a causal link to the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic respiratory disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2003
- Citation
- 0301136
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 680 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0301136.
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 remanded claims for respiratory, back, sleep apnea, and bilateral foot disabilities for additional examinations and medical opinions. This decision did not grant service connection or assign a disability rating.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are remanded due to the need for additional development. The hearing loss disability is rated at 10% prior to November 5, 2020, and 90% thereafter.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hand tremor and chronic respiratory disability due to inadequate medical opinions regarding exposure to toxic chemicals during service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.
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