The veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and the appellant's claim for non-service connected death pension benefits is denied.
The deciding factor: Service connection could not be established as there was no evidence linking any service-connected disability to the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple organ failure, Uremia, Chronic renal failure, COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 24, 2004
- Citation
- 0431185
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 0431185.
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: Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by multiple organ failure, which the Board found to be related to service-connected liver disease and other conditions. Service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claim for dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) based upon service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's cause of death to his military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's congestive heart failure, aortic stenosis, and chronic renal failure and his conceded exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
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