The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and he did not meet the criteria for burial benefits due to lack of service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the Veteran’s cause of death (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, thyroid carcinoma, and alcoholism) to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, thyroid carcinoma, alcoholism
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2010
- Citation
- 1013373
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 1013373.
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 decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's alcoholism is secondary to his service-connected adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for TDIU prior to October 18, 2018 due to a lack of evidence showing that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Granted
The Veteran's emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other spontaneous pneumothorax status post thoracotomy is rated as 100% disabling since February 28, 2024. His major depressive disorder is separately rated at 70%. The Board finds that the Veteran meets the criteria for special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's motion to revise an August 2009 rating decision denying service connection for alcoholism (also claimed as depression) on the basis of clear and unmistakable error (CUE), finding no CUE in the original decision.
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