The Board found that the veteran's cause of death was not caused by a disability incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor did any disability incurred in or aggravated by active service substantially or materially contribute to his death.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that gastrointestinal bleeding, Wegener's granulomatosis, and aspiration pneumonia were not present during the veteran's service or for many years thereafter; neither are they otherwise shown to be related to the veteran's military service, to any service-connected disability, or to any incident during service.
- Claimed conditions
- lower gastrointestinal bleeding, Wegener's granulomatosis, aspiration pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 10, 2004
- Citation
- 0414994
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,613 · Granted: 30% (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 0414994.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that VA did not provide carelessness, negligence, or lack of proper skill in furnishing medical treatment.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for Wegener's granulomatosis, a recurrent kidney disability, and a recurrent bladder disability. The claim for an earlier effective date was denied, as well as the claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of evidence regarding the Veteran's service in Guam or American Samoa, which could affect his presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure under the PACT Act.
- Denied
The Board denied DIC benefits, finding that VA did not cause the Veteran's death through negligence or error. The Veteran died from septic shock due to bowel perforation, which was a known risk of surgery but not caused by VA.
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