The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by VA hospitalization or medical treatment, and thus denied DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.
The deciding factor: VA treatment in 1969 did not result in additional disability nor cause the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastrointestinal bleeding, Liver failure, Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 21, 2003
- Citation
- 0316919
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 0316919.
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: Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there is no evidence to support a causal relationship between the Veteran's military service and his death from gastrointestinal bleeding and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding no evidence linking his respiratory failure, pneumonia, malignant neoplasm of the esophagus, gastrointestinal bleeding, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to his military service, including exposure to herbicides and Camp Lejeune contaminated water.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore DIC benefits are denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA Regional Office (RO) made pre-decisional errors in denying the appellant's claims for service connection for cause of death and entitlement to survivor's pension. The case is being remanded for further development, including obtaining evidence regarding the appellant's status as a surviving spouse and the Veteran's wartime service.
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