The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death and for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal link between any service-connected condition and her husband's death.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence suggesting that any service-connected condition caused or contributed substantially or materially to the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome, Pneumonia, Upper gastrointestinal bleed, Hepatitis, Renal failure
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 2, 2003
- Citation
- 0311013
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 0311013.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain an adequate opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing toxic exposures during service and submitted medical literature.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his alcohol-related causes of death were etiologically linked to a service-connected disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that it was related to in-service symptoms indicating kidney disease caused by systemic lupus erythematosus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a VA examination to address all respiratory disabilities found or shown during the appeal period and to determine their relationship to service, including exposure to toxic or environmental hazards.
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