The veteran's death was caused by liver cirrhosis due to alcoholism and chronic granulocytic leukemia, both of which are not related to service. The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence shows that the veteran's death was caused by liver cirrhosis due to alcoholism and chronic granulocytic leukemia, neither of which were present in or aggravated by his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatorenal syndrome due to liver cirrhosis due to alcoholism, chronic granulocytic leukemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 17, 2008
- Citation
- 0823798
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 0823798.
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: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, chronic granulocytic leukemia, did not begin during service and is not related to any in-service injury or disease. The VA examiners' opinions support this conclusion.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for cause of death due to a lack of an opinion linking the Veteran's chronic granulocytic leukemia to his military service. The case is now back before the Board with instructions to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death from leukemia is related to his military service, and that his countable income for VA pension benefits is not excessive. The claims are remanded due to missing records and need further medical opinions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for chronic granulocytic leukemia, and thus the claim is granted. The Veteran's chronic leukemia was not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may it be presumed to have been incurred as a result of ionizing radiation exposure.
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