The Veteran's death was caused by hemorrhagic shock and a massive gastrointestinal bleed, both related to his alcoholism. The service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute substantially to the Veteran's death. Therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of death is denied.
The deciding factor: The service-connected conditions (left eyebrow scar and left ear hearing loss) were not shown to have caused or contributed substantially to the Veteran's death from hemorrhagic shock and a massive gastrointestinal bleed due to alcoholism.
- Claimed conditions
- Hemorrhagic shock, Massive gastrointestinal bleed
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 14, 2012
- Citation
- 1228051
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 1228051.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was hemorrhagic shock with multiorgan failure and acute gastrointestinal bleed, which the Board found not related to his military service or exposure to toxic chemicals. The claim for service connection for cause of death is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing whether his respiratory failure, septic shock, hemorrhagic shock, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and chronic osteomyelitis of the right leg were related to in-service toxic exposure or an in-service right leg injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed to correct errors in the duty to assist, including obtaining outstanding treatment records and a medical opinion considering the PACT Act's requirements for toxic exposure risk activities.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for compensation under section 1151 for gallbladder surgery residuals is granted, while the claim for compensation under section 1151 for hemorrhagic stroke is remanded.
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