The Board found no competent and probative evidence to support a connection between the veteran's service-connected disabilities and his death.
The deciding factor: No credible medical opinion was provided that linked the veteran's service-connected conditions to his cause of death, which included sepsis syndrome, acute myocardial infarction, acute stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, renal failure, and palliative care.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic skin ulcer, left inguinal herniorrhaphy scar, hiatal hernia, trichophytosis of the feet, draining lesion at the site of left inguinal hernia surgery, residuals of bilateral inguinal herniorraphies
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 4, 2009
- Citation
- 0904006
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, hiatal hernia, COPD, and prostate cancer as a result of toxic exposure during the Veteran's military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for GERD and hiatal hernia, effective March 31, 2020, but denied an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatal hernia, stage 3 chronic kidney disease, varicose veins of the right lower extremity, and varicose veins of the left lower extremity as there was no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diverticulosis, GERD, and hiatal hernia as the evidence did not show a link to an in-service disease or injury.
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