The Veteran's cause of death was not due to or the result of service-connected disabilities, and there is no evidence linking his colitis disability to service.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing that the Veteran's colitis disability was incurred in service or related to any service-connected conditions. The available post-service medical records do not support a link between the Veteran's service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities and his death certificate listed disabilities, including ulcerative colitis.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic cardiomyopathy, Acute myocardial infarction, Severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Ulcerative colitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2016
- Citation
- 1643996
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 1643996.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his heart condition was not related to his military service and could not be presumed due to herbicide exposure. The Board also found insufficient evidence linking his heart condition to asbestos exposure during service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of death due to chronic suppurative otitis media, which aggravated the Veteran's pre-existing heart conditions and led to his fall resulting in death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran died due to an acute myocardial infarction. The Board has identified errors in the toxic exposure documentation and requests a remand for further investigation and medical opinion regarding the cause of death.
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