The veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the appellant did not meet the requirements for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) under Chapter 35.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion established that the cause of the veteran's death was alcohol abuse and alcoholic hepatitis, which were unrelated to his service-connected conditions or any service exposure. The appellant failed to provide sufficient evidence to meet the requirements for DEA benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatic encephalopathy, abdominal sepsis, cirrhosis of the liver
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2007
- Citation
- 0713775
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 0713775.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for cirrhosis of the liver has been dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and its secondary effects on other conditions, including cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes mellitus type II, esophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy, and splenomegaly.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that none of the conditions listed on his death certificate were related to his military service or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for leukemia, thrombocytopenia, and bone marrow transplant with acquired agranulocytosis. The Veteran's Fanconi anemia is not considered a service-connected condition due to its congenital nature. Service connection was also denied for hepatocarcinoma and cirrhosis of the liver.
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