The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking any disability to his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing a nexus between the veteran's service and the conditions leading to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- ascending cholangitis, septicemia, hepato renal failure
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2004
- Citation
- 0415514
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,977 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0415514.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied DIC and survivors' pension benefits due to the lack of evidence linking septicemia to service, and because the Appellant's income exceeded the maximum annual pension rate.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's death was due to service-connected cause, specifically his metastatic pancreatic cancer which is presumed to be related to burn pit exposure in the Persian Gulf. The claim for service connection for the cause of death is granted.
- Whole decision: Granted
The claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death has been granted due to the submission of relevant new evidence, and a VA opinion is needed regarding the etiology of his cause of death.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death was related to in-service exposure to an herbicide agent, and service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death is granted.
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