The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to cirrhosis of the liver, which was found to be related to alcohol abuse secondary to his service-connected paranoid schizophrenia. The rating assigned is 100 percent.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established based on a finding that the veteran's terminal disease process (cirrhosis of the liver) was likely due to alcoholism, which in turn was linked to his service-connected psychiatric disability (paranoid schizophrenia).
- Claimed conditions
- cirrhosis of the liver, alcohol abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 3, 2003
- Citation
- 0326348
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 0326348.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and alcohol abuse as secondary to posttraumatic stress disorder for further development, including obtaining medical opinions on the etiology of these conditions.
- 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.
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