The Board found that the Veteran's death was not due to service-connected disability or otherwise etiologically related to his active military service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that staphylococcal sepsis, cirrhosis, and GI bleeding were related to service.
The deciding factor: The conditions were not shown within one year of separation from service or shortly thereafter, and the death certificate provided no factual basis for the conclusion stated.
- Claimed conditions
- staphylococcal sepsis, cirrhosis, upper GI bleed
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 19, 2018
- Citation
- 1803624
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 1803624.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of March 8, 2024 for the grant of service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus but denied earlier effective dates for atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. The other claims were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, for purposes of entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), as further development is necessary.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer residuals and cirrhosis, both presumed to be related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for additional development, including generating a TERA memorandum and obtaining an advisory medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death.
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