The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a disability for which service connection had been established at the time of death or for which service connection should have been established, and denied the claims.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not show that the Veteran's service-connected intervertebral disc syndrome of the lumbar spine or psychoneurosis either contributed or were causally related to his death. The cause of death was listed as gastrointestinal bleeding due to cancer of the colon, severe dementia and cancer of the prostate.
- Claimed conditions
- gastrointestinal bleeding due to cancer of the colon, cancer of the colon, severe dementia, cancer of the prostate
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2009
- Citation
- 0909324
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied higher ratings for the veteran's anxiety disorder and hearing loss but remanded decisions on service connection for severe dementia and special monthly compensation.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to an inadequate medical opinion.
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