The Board found that the veteran did not have qualifying service for his wife to receive nonservice-connected death pension benefits, and denied her claims for accrued benefits and basic eligibility for death pension. The causes of death were not related to his military service.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence linking the veteran's causes of death (cardiopulmonary arrest, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatoma) to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiopulmonary arrest, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, hepatoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2004
- Citation
- 0411229
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 0411229.
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 denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death as there was no evidence linking any of the listed conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, considering potential in-service toxic exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, as there was no evidence to support a finding that his cardiopulmonary arrest, metastatic brain disease, or metastatic small cell carcinoma were related to his active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for liver cirrhosis to obtain outstanding medical records and further develop evidence of exposure to benzene during the Veteran's service.
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