The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and determined that the appellant does not have basic eligibility for VA nonservice-connected death benefits.
The deciding factor: There is no competent evidence linking the fatal hepatoma and hookworm infestation to an injury, disease, or event of service origin. The veteran's recognized guerrilla service does not qualify as requisite service to confer eligibility to the appellant for VA nonservice-connected death pension benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatoma, hookworm infestation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2008
- Citation
- 0812471
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 734 · Granted: 9% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0812471.
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 liver cancer, which caused his death in August 1997, is presumed to have been incurred due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during service. Therefore, the cause of the Veteran’s death is granted as service-connected.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been shown to render him so helpless he is unable to perform self-care tasks, to include frequent adjustment of his prosthetic, dressing, bathing, dispensing of medications, or protect himself from the hazards incident to his daily environment without care or assistance of another person on a regular basis. The Board finds that the criteria for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance have been met.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's hepatoma is etiologically related to service, including presumed herbicide exposure and exposure to hepatitis B.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was caused by cardiorespiratory arrest due to hepatoma, and the Board finds no service connection is warranted for either condition.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.