The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death as there was no evidence linking any of his claimed conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence of a nexus between service and a principal or contributory cause of the Veteran's death, and the preponderance of the evidence is against a finding that the Veteran's death is attributable to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute renal failure, Ascending cholangitis due to biliary obstruction status-post emergency cholecystectomy and t-tube biliary drainage, choledocholithiasis, Upper gastrointestinal bleeding, Nasopharyngeal cancer - Stage IV
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2009
- Citation
- 0908608
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cause of death, considering service in Vietnam and potential Agent Orange exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance, as there was no evidence that a disability incurred in or aggravated by service contributed substantially to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause his death and played no substantial or material part in his death, and did not otherwise materially accelerate his death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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