The Veteran's death was not related to his military service, and he did not have qualifying service for VA pension benefits. Therefore, the appellant is not eligible for VA death pension or non-service-connected death pension benefits.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the Veteran's death to his military service, including as a former POW. The cause of death was liver cancer, which does not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection under VA law.
- Claimed conditions
- Liver cancer, Avitaminosis (vitamin deficiency), Beriberi (thiamine deficiency), Chronic dysentery
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 18, 2010
- Citation
- 1031037
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 1031037.
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 remands the claim for a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's liver, lung, brain, and bone cancers in relation to his service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for liver cancer and cholecystectomy to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors related to toxic exposure risk activities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new VA addendum opinion to determine if the Veteran's liver cancer and hepatitis C are related to his active service, including exposure to agent orange.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for liver cancer due to a failure by the AOJ to obtain a medical opinion that complies with the requirements of 38 U.S.C. § 1168(a)(1).
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