The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, as there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between the veteran's service-connected PTSD and his death.
The deciding factor: The negative medical evidence outweighed the positive evidence, with multiple experts finding that the veteran's PTSD did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- cancer of an unclear origin, liver abscess, Parkinsonism, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 4, 2009
- Citation
- 0904001
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 0904001.
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 Board has granted service connection for Parkinsonism, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his military service. The decision resolves all doubts in favor of the claim.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Parkinsonism, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his military service. The decision resolves all doubts in favor of the claim.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been submitted for the claim of entitlement to TDIU, which is being remanded. The issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is also being remanded due to conflicting medical opinions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for depression, other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder with alcohol use disorder, severe, and PTSD due to inadequate medical opinions provided by VA examiners.
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