The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death, a pulmonary embolus, was not caused by or related to his military service. The Board also determined that any medication he took for a gastrointestinal condition did not contribute to his death.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the veteran’s venous insufficiency in service was not related to the pulmonary embolus and that prednisone used for inflammatory bowel disease did not materially aid or assist in causing the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary embolus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2003
- Citation
- 0309092
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 0309092.
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 remands the claim for service connection for cause of death to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including obtaining a medical opinion and additional records.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran passed away while under VA care and at VA expense, meeting the criteria for non-service-connected burial benefits.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.,The appeal for service connection for pulmonary embolus is remanded.,The appeal for service connection for deep vein thrombosis and venous embolism and thrombosis of the right lower extremity is remanded.,The appeal for service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is remanded.,The appeal for service connection for a disability of the right knee is remanded.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions from VA examiners regarding the Veteran's heart problems and their relation to service, specifically his exposure to gas in gas chambers.
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