The Veteran's death was caused by aspiration pneumonia and sepsis, with significant contributing conditions being colon carcinoma and pancytopenia. The Board finds that the Veteran's alcohol abuse due to PTSD is at least as likely as not related to his service-connected PTSD, and it is also as least as likely as not that his colon cancer was related to his alcohol use.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows a strong association between PTSD and substance abuse, including alcohol use. The registered nurse's opinion and studies submitted in April 2017 support the conclusion that the Veteran's alcohol abuse was due to his service-connected PTSD, and it is also as least as likely as not related to his colon cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- aspiration pneumonia, sepsis, colon carcinoma, pancytopenia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 1, 2017
- Citation
- 1730616
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 1730616.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, sepsis and acute myeloid leukemia with toxic encephalopathy, was not caused by or related to his military service. The Board found that the available evidence did not show a nexus between the Veteran's exposure to toxins or herbicides and his death.
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