The Veteran's death was attributed to respiratory failure, cardiac arrhythmia and malignant melanoma. The Board found no evidence of these conditions in service or due to Agent Orange exposure, thus denying the claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: There is no direct evidence linking the cause of death to service or any presumptive conditions related to Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- respiratory failure, cardiac arrhythmia, malignant melanoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 12, 2016
- Citation
- 1627597
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1627597.
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 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for malignant melanoma, finding that there was no evidence linking the condition to his active duty service.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for her scars has been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of this claim.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA did not obtain all necessary service treatment records and failed to provide a VA medical opinion addressing the cause of death. The claim is being remanded for these actions.
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