The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected condition and denied both the cause of death claim and the DIC claim.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the Veteran's cause of death to his military service, including hepatitis C or PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- septicemia, liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis C, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 20, 2011
- Citation
- 1123362
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 1123362.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied DIC and survivors' pension benefits due to the lack of evidence linking septicemia to service, and because the Appellant's income exceeded the maximum annual pension rate.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death (hepatitic failure, cirrhosis, and chronic hepatitis C) is not directly related to his Marine Corps service or any verified in-service exposures. The VA examiner's opinion was found inadequate due to its reliance on the absence of medical literature without a discussion of specific facts.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for back disability, gastrointestinal condition, gynecomastia, kidney lesion, and liver cirrhosis due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The case is remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
Your appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The claims for service connection on all listed conditions are not before the Board.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.