The Board denied the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that the diagnosed conditions were not related to his active service.
The deciding factor: The Board found no evidence linking the diagnosed conditions (fibrosis of the lungs and gastric antrum, AIDS, severe malnutrition, and disseminated mycobacterium avium intracellulare) to the Veteran's active service, including exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- fibrosis of the lungs, gastric antrum, AIDS, severe malnutrition, disseminated mycobacterium avium intracellulare
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2018
- Citation
- 1801853
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 1801853.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for fibrosis of the lungs as there is no currently diagnosed respiratory disability apart from the Veteran's already service-connected chronic cough of unknown etiology.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was not related to his active military service, and the Board denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of nexus between the Veteran's cause of death and active service, but will consider whether exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam was a contributory or principal cause of death.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his death to service or exposure to Agent Orange. The preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that any disability caused by service-connected conditions contributed to his death.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.