The Veteran died in April 2006 due to multiple organ failures, including sepsis. His service-connected low back disability was not listed as a primary cause of death or a substantial contributing factor. As he did not meet the criteria for receiving DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, his surviving spouse's claim is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died due to multiple organ failures and his service-connected low back disability was not listed as a primary cause of death or a substantial contributing factor.
- Claimed conditions
- sepsis, respiratory failure, renal failure, liver failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2016
- Citation
- 1609284
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 1609284.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, kidney cancer, is not service-connected. The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death was not related to his military service or a service-connected disability.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic lung cancer, was found to be related to service and caused or contributed substantially to the Veteran's death. The Board granted entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for extreme fatigue, difficulty breathing, sepsis, and urinary tract infection due to incomplete records and a need for additional medical opinions.
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