The Board denied the appellant's claims of service connection for the cause of her husband's death and entitlement to dependent's educational assistance under Chapter 35. The cause of death was listed as alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, with a perforated duodenal ulcer noted as a significant condition contributing to death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by any incident of his military service and denied both claims based on this finding.
- Claimed conditions
- Alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, Perforated duodenal ulcer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 14, 2004
- Citation
- 0425281
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 0425281.
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 has remanded the case due to a lack of records from December 2009 until March 2010, and an opinion is needed regarding whether VA failed to timely diagnose and treat the Veteran's anemia.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal is dismissed due to his death, and no compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for additional disability claimed as a result of VA inpatient medical treatment for a perforated duodenal ulcer from November 4, 2009 to March 12, 2010 is granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Veteran also failed to meet the requirements for TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD with alcohol abuse and cirrhosis of the liver, prevented him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted TDIU.
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