The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by service-connected conditions, specifically malnutrition and cirrhosis of the liver. The Board found sufficient evidence to presume these conditions as a result of his status as a former prisoner of war.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence established that the veteran developed malnutrition and cirrhosis during his time as a POW, which are presumed service-connected for former POWs.
- Claimed conditions
- hypovolemia, bleeding esophageal varices
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 27, 2004
- Citation
- 0413708
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,467 · Granted: 18% (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 0413708.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to refractory hypovolemic shock, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, bleeding esophageal varices, and liver cirrhosis as these conditions were not related to military service or any service-connected disability.
- Granted
The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected due to noise exposure during military service. Service connection is also granted for bleeding esophageal varices, but not related to the service-connected gastrointestinal reaction. The low back and cervical spine disabilities are not service-connected.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by, or substantially or materially contributed to by, a disability incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service. The cause of death listed on the certificate was bleeding esophageal varices due to hepatocellular carcinoma with Hepatitis B and C.
- Denied
The veteran's death was not caused by VA hospital care, treatment or examination. The appellant's claims for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 and accrued benefits are denied as the veteran had no pending claims at the time of his death.
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