The Board found that the veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute to his death, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined there was no evidence linking the veteran's service-connected conditions to his decline in mental function, balance, and cognitive abilities which led to his death. The examiner also found that the shell fragment wounds did not contribute to his development of atrial fibrillation, carotid vascular disease or movement disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- organic brain disease, failure to thrive
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2007
- Citation
- 0738083
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 0738083.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, as there is a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding the Veteran's prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to correct errors in the duty-to-assist process. The Board will consider new evidence on whether the Veteran's service-connected diabetes contributed to his death.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death is granted presumptively due to herbicide exposure, specifically Agent Orange. Accrued benefits are denied as no claim was pending at the time of his death.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected parasomnia contributed to his development of myocardial infarction, which ultimately led to his death. The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
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