The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and denied DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151, finding that the conditions were not incurred in or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The conditions did not have a direct link to the veteran's military service and were unrelated to his service-connected condition of bilateral weak feet.
- Claimed conditions
- Pneumonia, Metastatic carcinoma of the transverse colon, Gastrointestinal bleeding, Diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer's disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2004
- Citation
- 0414486
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 0414486.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding no evidence that his death was related to any injury or disease in service, including exposure to herbicide agents.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain an adequate opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing toxic exposures during service and submitted medical literature.
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