The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected disabilities, and there is no competent evidence linking post-traumatic stress disorder to his death. The cause of death listed on the certificate was hepatic failure due to cirrhosis of the liver.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing a direct link between the veteran's service-connected conditions and his death from hepatic failure due to cirrhosis of the liver.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatic failure, cirrhosis of the liver
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2003
- Citation
- 0307744
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0307744.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for cirrhosis of the liver, finding that it was due to herbicide exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 40 percent for hepatitis C and cirrhosis of the liver, but denied earlier effective dates for service connection and a higher rating for tinnitus.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis B, finding no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
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