The Board found that the veteran's cause of death (aspiration pneumonia) was not service-connected, as there is no evidence showing a connection between his active service and any of the conditions listed on his death certificate.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence linking the veteran's cause of death to his active service.
- Claimed conditions
- aspiration pneumonia, hepatoencephalopathy, cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2006
- Citation
- 0614153
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 0614153.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for additional development, including generating a TERA memorandum and obtaining an advisory medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for a liver condition to correct an error by the AOJ and ensure that all necessary medical opinions are obtained.
- Granted
Service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted based on in-service exposure to vinyl chloride in Camp Lejeune drinking water contributing to his cirrhosis.
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