The veteran's liver failure, caused by alcoholic liver disease, was not service-connected as the cause of death due to his service-connected PTSD not playing a role in his death.
The deciding factor: Service connection for the cause of death required that the liver failure be attributable to a condition related to or aggravated by service. The medical evidence did not support attributing the alcoholic liver disease to the veteran's service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- Alcoholic Liver Disease, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 5, 2004
- Citation
- 0411721
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 0411721.
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 a disability rating in excess of 50 percent prior to October 28, 2014, and in excess of 70 percent from October 28, 2014, to September 11, 2019, for the Veteran's major depressive disorder with eating disorder and PTSD.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for post-traumatic stress disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, and service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including Major Depressive Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder due to Military Sexual Trauma (MST), are related to service. Service connection is granted.
- Dismissed
Your appeals for increased ratings for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and a total disability rating have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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