The Board found that there is no evidence showing a causal relationship between the veteran's service-connected conditions and his death, nor was alcoholism shown to be related to service or a service-connected disability. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the veteran's death cannot be granted.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence linking the veteran’s death to any service-connected condition or to alcoholism, which is not considered a service-connected condition in this case.
- Claimed conditions
- septic shock, chronic liver disease, gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2006
- Citation
- 0601330
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 issue of entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, for purposes of entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), as further development is necessary.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection and rating issues related to various conditions, including obesity, chronic renal dysfunction/kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, Grave's disease, chronic liver disease, TMJ disorder, sleep apnea, back pain, dermatographic urticaria residuals from anthrax vaccine, and hemorrhoids.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error.
- Dismissed
The Board denied the request for an extension of time to file an appeal and dismissed the attempted appeals of the February 2020 and September 2020 rating decisions.
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.