The Veteran's death was caused by pneumonia, which led to dehydration. The VA provided appropriate care and the cause of death is not due to negligence or error on VA's part.
The deciding factor: Dehydration was a result of the pneumonia and treatment provided at VA facilities did not contribute to the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Pneumonia, Lewy body dementia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 2, 2014
- Citation
- 1419798
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 1419798.
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 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.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death is due to Lewy body dementia, myasthenia gravis, and aortic valvular disease. The Board found that the Veteran was exposed to environmental and chemical substances during his ACDUTRA service as an infantryman and cook, which contributed substantially or materially to the development of these conditions.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection on hypertension, Parkinson's disease, and Lewy body dementia have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Whole decision: 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.
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