The Board has determined that the Veteran's alcohol abuse associated with his service-connected PTSD caused cirrhosis of his liver, which in turn caused his liver cancer and ultimately led to his death. Therefore, service connection for cause of death is granted.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence established a link between the Veteran's alcohol abuse due to PTSD and his liver cancer, leading to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Liver cancer, Alcohol abuse associated with PTSD
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 24, 2018
- Citation
- 18105222
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 18105222.
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 Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for liver cancer, finding that there is no evidence to support a causal relationship between his in-service exposures and his diagnosed liver cancer. The medical opinion provided by VA concluded that the liver cancer was not caused by or aggravated by any of the conditions listed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's liver, lung, brain, and bone cancers in relation to his service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for liver cancer and cholecystectomy to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors related to toxic exposure risk activities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new VA addendum opinion to determine if the Veteran's liver cancer and hepatitis C are related to his active service, including exposure to agent orange.
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