The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability and denied both his claim for service connection for the cause of his death and his claim for non-service connected death pension benefits.
The deciding factor: There is no competent evidence linking the cause of the veteran's death to any service-connected disability or to his period of active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of gunshot wound to the abdomen
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 23, 2005
- Citation
- 0508738
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 0508738.
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 Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's residuals of a gunshot wound to the abdomen and related surgeries, finding that his current hiatal hernia is at least as likely as not related to his active duty service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and SSA records. The Veteran is also to be scheduled for a VA psychiatric examination to determine if he currently has any psychiatric disorders (including PTSD) that are related to service or his gunshot wound to the abdomen.
- Whole decision: Denied
The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for residuals of gunshot wound to the abdomen was denied.,The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for venous insufficiency of the right leg was also denied.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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.