The Board found that the veteran did not meet the requirements for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 and denied service connection for the cause of death due to alcoholism.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence linking any psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, to active service or contributing to the veteran's death from alcohol-related causes.
- Claimed conditions
- Alcoholism, Acute hepatitis (probable alcoholic), Malaria
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2004
- Citation
- 0417843
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 0417843.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected migraines, service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and service connection for malaria due to missing evidence and incomplete medical opinions.
- Partly granted
The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to the service-connected intervertebral disc syndrome with lumbar spondylosis alone effective February 13, 2015.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for PTSD was dismissed due to an improper concurrent election of review options, and the claim for alcoholism was denied as a matter of law.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for PTSD beginning March 16, 2010 and denied a motion for revision of an August 2007 rating decision on the basis of clear and unmistakable error (CUE). The Board also granted service connection for alcoholism, major depressive disorder, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, sleep apnea, and increased ratings for PTSD.
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