The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his COPD-bronchial asthma to his military service.
The deciding factor: There was no medical evidence showing a link between the veteran's COPD-bronchial asthma and his period of active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- cardio respiratory failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - bronchial asthma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2004
- Citation
- 0415535
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,500 · Granted: 17% (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 0415535.
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 has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, cardio respiratory failure due to esophageal cancer, was not caused or contributed substantially or materially by a service-connected disability. The appellant did not provide evidence of in-service radiation exposure and there is no other evidence linking the Veteran's death to his military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and denied both the claim for service connection for cause of death and the claim for service connection for liver cancer. The appellant is also ineligible for VA pension benefits as she did not meet the legal requirements.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board finds that the veteran's death was caused by a disease presumed to be incurred in service due to his status as a former prisoner of war, and grants service connection for cause of death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death was not incurred in or aggravated by service and may not be presumed to have been incurred therein. The service-connected disabilities did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.