The Board found that the veteran's cause of death was not related to his military service and denied entitlement to DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for the cause of death as a result of VA treatment.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there is no evidence linking the veteran's cause of death (pneumonia due to or as a consequence of congestive heart failure) to his military service, and thus denied service connection. The claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was also denied because there was no indication that VA treatment caused the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive Heart Failure, Pneumonia, Atrial Fibrillation, Adenocarcinoma of the Colon
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 22, 2006
- Citation
- 0630033
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 0630033.
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 case to obtain an adequate opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing toxic exposures during service and submitted medical literature.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary fibrosis as these conditions were not related to the Veteran's service, including his exposure to Agent Orange.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, sleep apnea, and erectile dysfunction.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for COPD, obstructive sleep apnea, atrial fibrillation, and hypertension as not being related to the Veteran's active duty or secondary to his service-connected GAD. However, congestive heart failure was granted due to a secondary relationship with his service-connected GAD.
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