The Board found that the immediate causes of the veteran's death were delirium tremens with severe alcoholic liver disease and cardiac arrest. The medical evidence did not establish a relationship between these conditions and his military service.
The deciding factor: The cause of death was determined to be due to alcohol-related cirrhosis, delirium tremens, and severe alcoholic liver disease, none of which were related to the veteran's military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Alcohol-related cirrhosis, Delirium tremens, Severe alcoholic liver disease, Cardiac arrest
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 5, 2003
- Citation
- 0319068
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 0319068.
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.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and therefore denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to obtain relevant SSA records that could provide information pertinent to the Veteran's appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence that a disability incurred in or aggravated by service either caused or contributed substantially to his cardiac arrest.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death on a basis other than the PACT Act, finding that there was no evidence to support exposure to herbicide agents during service in Thailand.
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