The Veteran's death was caused by multiorgan failure syndrome, sepsis syndrome, and community acquired pneumonia. The cause of these conditions is not service-connected due to the lack of evidence linking them to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions concluded that the Veteran's hepatitis C infection was likely a result of promiscuous sexual activity or IV drug use during his military service in Vietnam, but there was no direct evidence linking the cause of death to any service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- multiorgan failure syndrome, sepsis syndrome, community acquired pneumonia, chronic hepatitis C, cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2010
- Citation
- 1002002
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 1002002.
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 granted an effective date of March 8, 2024 for the grant of service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus but denied earlier effective dates for atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. The other claims were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, for purposes of entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), as further development is necessary.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer residuals and cirrhosis, both presumed to be related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for additional development, including generating a TERA memorandum and obtaining an advisory medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death.
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