The Veteran's death was caused by hepatorenal syndrome, which is not service-connected. The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's PTSD to his military service and determined that alcohol abuse did not arise from service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence establishing a link between the Veteran's PTSD and his death, nor does there appear to be any connection between his service-connected conditions and his alcohol abuse.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatorenal syndrome, Metabolic acidosis, Hyperkalemia, Fulminant hepatic failure, Hepatitis C positive with liver cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18119282
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 18119282.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not related to service-connected disability, and he did not meet the criteria for DIC or survivor pension benefits. The Appellant also does not qualify for accrued benefits due to a lack of pending claims at the time of her husband's death.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure during his military service and thus not meeting the criteria for presumptive service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to conflicting medical evidence and a need for further development regarding the etiology of the Veteran's congestive heart failure, anca vasculitis, kidney failure, metabolic acidosis, and diabetic nephropathy.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to his service-connected PTSD, which contributed substantially or materially to his death. The claims for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 and § 1318 are dismissed as moot.
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