The veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and he did not meet the criteria for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation or Dependents' Education Assistance benefits.
The deciding factor: The cause of the veteran's death (respiratory failure due to lung cancer) was not attributable to any service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Carcinoma of the lung, Post-traumatic encephalopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 7, 2004
- Citation
- 0409014
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 332 · Granted: 14% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0409014.
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 Veteran's cause of death was ruled as carcinoma of the lung, but service connection for this condition is denied. The case is remanded to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether VA care contributed to the Veteran's lung cancer.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by or related to his military service, including exposure to herbicides. The cause of death listed on his death certificate was obstructive pneumonia, which led to metastatic carcinoma in the thoracic spine and lung cancer.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, individually or in concert, do not prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment.
- Granted
The Board has granted the appellant's claim for service connection for the veteran's cause of death, finding that his atrial fibrillation, which contributed significantly to his death, was related to his period of military service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.