The Board denied the claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 because the veteran was not rated totally disabled for a continuous period of at least ten years prior to his death.
The deciding factor: The veteran's death certificate showed he died from hepatic insufficiency secondary to liver cirrhosis, but he had never been service-connected for any disability and did not meet the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatic insufficiency, liver cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2005
- Citation
- 0501597
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 0501597.
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 claim for a medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, considering potential in-service toxic exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for liver cirrhosis to obtain outstanding medical records and further develop evidence of exposure to benzene during the Veteran's service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, liver cirrhosis, interstitial cystitis, liver cancer, and sleep apnea as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to active service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for hearing loss and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and remanded service connection claims for dizziness as secondary to hearing loss and liver cirrhosis.
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