The Veteran's cause of death was not caused by a disease or injury incurred during an eligible period of service, and the Board finds that hepatitis C and cirrhosis did not have their onset in service. The Board therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence to support a link between the Veteran's liver diseases (hepatitis C and cirrhosis) and his period of active service, including during periods when he was stationed in Germany.
- Claimed conditions
- respiratory failure, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), hepatitis C, cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 8, 2015
- Citation
- 1551346
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 1551346.
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
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- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by any service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has dismissed the appeal for accrued benefits and has remanded the issue of service connection for cause of death, as there was a duty to assist error related to obtaining a medical nexus opinion regarding in-service herbicide agent exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's causes of death were not found to be service-connected, as there was no credible evidence linking the conditions to his military service.
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