The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding no evidence linking the veteran's death to his military service.
The deciding factor: There was no medical evidence showing a causal link between the veteran's service and any conditions that contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- cancer of the thyroid gland, cardio respiratory arrest
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2003
- Citation
- 0336620
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 0336620.
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 has remanded the case for an addendum opinion to determine if any of the Veteran's causes of death are related to his in-service exposure to environmental hazards.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected cancer of the thyroid gland, post-thyroidectomy is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence and missing hospital records. They need to determine if type II diabetes caused or contributed to death, and whether the Veteran's death was caused by active service, a service-connected disability, or type II diabetes.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the cause of the Veteran's death, and a new opinion is needed from an appropriate physician.
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