The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his fatal pulmonary aspergillosis was not caused by any incident of service and did not result from a pre-existing condition aggravated during service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's fatal pulmonary aspergillosis developed many years after service and was not related to any incident of service or the in-service lobectomy. The only medical opinion on record weighed against the claim, finding no documented proof that the pre-existing condition contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 5, 2009
- Citation
- 0904066
Veterans Law Judge
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 0904066.
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: Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of her appeal.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of December 23, 2011, for the grant of service connection for chronic myelomonocytic leukemia and denied an earlier effective date prior to November 24, 2020, for special monthly compensation based on housebound status.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, resolving all reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor based on his credible assertions of repeated presence near the perimeter of Korat RTAFB and exposure to herbicide agents.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic myelomonocytic leukemia is related to his exposure to herbicide agents during service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.
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