The Board found that the cause of death, alcoholic liver disease and gastritis/peptic ulcer disease, was not related to service due to alcohol abuse.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish a link between the veteran's in-service or post-service alcohol abuse and his fatal conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Alcoholic Liver Disease, Acute Hemorrhagic Gastritis/Peptic Ulcer Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2007
- Citation
- 0702764
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0702764.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is found to have contributed to his alcohol dependence, which in turn caused his death from liver failure and alcoholic liver disease. As a result, the Board grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and thus denied his claim for service connection for the cause of his death.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board finds that alcoholism due to service-connected PTSD substantially contributed to the Veteran's cause of death, acute necrotizing pancreatitis. The decision is in favor of granting service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The VA determined that the veteran's chronic hepatitis does not warrant a higher disability rating as his symptoms are attributable to non-service-connected conditions.
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