The Board denied the appellant's claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking any service-connected disability or alcohol abuse to the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing a link between any service-connected condition and the veteran's death. The Board also found that the appellant's statements regarding the cause of death were not competent medical evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- End stage liver disease, Pneumonia and respiratory failure, Adynamic ileus, Abdominal distension
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2006
- Citation
- 0607951
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and tinnitus, while denying service connection for various other disabilities including the right ankle, left ankle, right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, left knee, heart, respiratory, kidney, venous thrombosis, urinary hesitancy, acute metabolic encephalopathy, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, sleep disturbance, abdominal distension, atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease, neurological disability, chronic fatigue syndrome, erectile dysfunction, stroke, skin disability, fibromyalgia, bilateral foot pain, hammer toes, tinea pedis, meningitis, GERD, traumatic brain injury, and irritable bowel syndrome. The Board also remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss and a back disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain an adequate medical opinion and for compliance with its June 2022 remand instructions.
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