The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, including his asbestos exposure during service.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion determined that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's cause of death to his military service or any service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Guillain-Barre syndrome, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), Respiratory failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2013
- Citation
- 1316013
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1316013.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there is no competent evidence linking any principal or contributory cause of his death to his service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for depression, a neck disability, and COPD due to insufficient evidence.,Service connection is denied for groin disability as there is no persuasive medical or lay evidence of a current disability related to service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim regarding improper VA compensation payments is denied as the Veteran does not meet the criteria for concurrent payment of military retired pay and VA disability compensation.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and his claim for TDIU is denied.
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.