The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death was not related to his military service, and thus denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of death. The appellant is also not entitled to DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 as she did not meet the required criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was no evidence linking the veteran's cause of death (sepsis due to multiple myeloma, renal failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, and lumbar degenerative spine disease) to his military service or any service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple Myeloma, Renal Failure, Gastrointestinal Bleeding, Lumbar Degenerative Spine Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2006
- Citation
- 0636066
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 0636066.
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 multiple myeloma, back disability (secondary to multiple myeloma), and depression, with an effective date of January 26, 2021. The decision also remanded claims related to breast cancer, DEA benefits, and initial ratings.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his service-connected multiple myeloma contributed substantially and materially to his death.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of September 5, 2023, for the award of service connection for multiple myeloma and MGUS but denied a compensable evaluation for hypertension.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his service-connected conditions did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
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