The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, including any presumed exposure to herbicides. The cause of death listed on his death certificate was pneumonia, with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and lupus as significant contributing conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA opinion concluded that the Veteran's pulmonary fibrosis was likely related to his connective tissue disease (lupus), and less likely than not etiologically related to his period of service, including herbicide exposure. The appellant’s statements regarding her belief in the cause of death were considered but did not change the outcome.
- Claimed conditions
- Pneumonia, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Lupus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2013
- Citation
- 1308285
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 1308285.
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 Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that none of the listed causes were related to his military service and no service-connected disability contributed to his death.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which contributed to his susceptibility to pneumonia and COVID-19. As a result, the appeal for service connection for cause of death is granted.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for cause of death, finding that his service-connected conditions did not contribute to his death. The evidence showed well-controlled heart symptoms prior to death and no causal relationship between anxiety and cardiopulmonary disease or renal failure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for thyroid disability and lupus, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and in-service exposure to gases during training.
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