The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by or a result of any service-connected disability, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The VA physician assistant concluded that the Veteran's diet-controlled diabetes was not a contributing cause to his death as it occurred secondary to acute circulatory failure resulting from cardiopulmonary arrest.
- Claimed conditions
- lactic acidosis, elevated ammonia level, metabolic acidosis, severe anemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2009
- Citation
- 0944260
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 0944260.
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 has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including obtaining a VA medical opinion regarding service connection for cause of death and dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 USC 1151.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the cause of death and potential toxic exposure. The Veteran's cause of death is metabolic acidosis, acute renal failure, septic shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and squamous cell carcinoma of unknown origin. The VA will need to obtain additional service personnel records and provide a TERA opinion.
- Granted
The Veteran's diagnosed myelofibrosis with severe anemia was more likely caused by his presumed exposure to herbicide agents while serving in Vietnam. Service connection for this condition is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the cause of death.
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