The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to his death. The medical evidence does not support a connection between his service, presumed herbicide exposure, and his fatal conditions.
The deciding factor: There is no positive medical nexus evidence linking the Veteran's fatal disorders to his active military service or presumed in-service herbicide agents exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Cardiac Arrest, Hepatitis C, Cirrhosis of the Liver
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2018
- Citation
- 1804615
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1804615.
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 Board denied a compensable initial rating for Hepatitis C, finding that the Veteran's condition was asymptomatic and did not meet the criteria for any higher rating.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's Hepatitis C with cirrhosis is related to service, and therefore grants service connection for these conditions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was caused by his conditions (Ventricular Fibrillation, Cardiac Arrest, and Heart Failure), which the Board finds may have been exacerbated or worsened due to VA treatment. The Board is remanding the case for a new medical opinion to determine if VA negligence contributed to the Veteran's death.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Veteran's depressive disorder is granted as service-connected, with the Board finding it related to his active duty service and aggravated by his service-connected tibia fractures. The claim for hepatitis C is remanded due to inadequate medical opinions regarding its etiology.,Service connection for depressive disorder is established based on direct evidence of a current disability (depressive disorder) that was incurred during active duty service.
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