The Veteran's death was not caused or aggravated by service, including a service-connected disability. The Board found that the cause of death was cardiopulmonary arrest due to renal failure and liver dysfunction, which were not related to his diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion determined that the Veteran's liver dysfunction was not the primary cause of death, but rather renal failure, and that there was no evidence of acute liver failure. The private physician's opinion suggested a connection between diabetes mellitus and renal failure, but this was contradicted by the VA opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiopulmonary arrest, renal failure, liver dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2009
- Citation
- 0939497
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0939497.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's death was linked to his service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA examinations and the need for further medical opinions regarding the Veteran's chronic kidney disease.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that there was no evidence linking any of the immediate or contributing causes of his death to his period of active duty service. The Board also found that the PACT Act did not apply in this case as the Veteran served prior to the period when herbicide agents were presumed used.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's causes of death, including Agent Orange exposure and contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune. The appellant is free to highlight post-decisional evidence for the benefit of the examiner.
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