The Veteran's death was caused by liver cirrhosis due to chronic alcoholism, which is not service-connected. The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death.
The deciding factor: The primary cause of death (liver cirrhosis) was attributed to chronic alcoholism, a condition that is not service-connected and precluded by VA regulations for compensation purposes due to alcohol abuse.
- Claimed conditions
- Liver cirrhosis, Hypertensive cardiovascular disease, Anemia of chronic disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 13, 2018
- Citation
- 18125987
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 18125987.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
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- Granted
The Board has granted the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his opioid use disorder was related to his service-connected disabilities and led to his untimely death.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there was not sufficient evidence to link his death to his military service or any presumptive conditions related to burn pit exposure. The Board also found no evidence linking his hypertension and cardiovascular disease to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including a low back disability, neck disability, nerve damage of the neck, back, and hip, liver cirrhosis, stroke, migraines, ovarian disability, heart disability, seizure disorder, and right ear disability.
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