The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and denied both the claim for service connection for the cause of death and the Dependents' Educational Assistance claim.
The deciding factor: The veteran died from liver failure due to chronic hepatitis C infection, which is not shown to be related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- gastric variceal hemorrhage, liver disease, gram negative bacteremia, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 8, 2006
- Citation
- 0638191
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 0638191.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the scalp, chronic kidney disease, and liver disease, subject to regulations governing payment of monetary benefits.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, liver disease, and hypertension as the probative evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and the Veteran's period of active-duty service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for left and right shoulder disabilities, but remanded several other claims including an acquired psychiatric disorder, diabetes mellitus, prostate disability, COPD, coronary arteriosclerosis, femoral artery disabilities, hearing loss, tinnitus, dry eye condition, liver disease, toenail fungus, headaches, and hypertension.
- Dismissed
The veteran has withdrawn the appeal for all service connection and increased rating claims, including those related to PTSD, right ankle fracture, tinnitus, and various other conditions.
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