The Veteran's death was caused by bilateral pneumonia, kidney failure, and multiorgan failure. The cause of death is under review to determine if it was related to service-connected conditions or other factors.,There are concerns that the Veteran’s in-service allergic reaction to a flu shot may have contributed to her death. This issue is also under review.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence to establish service connection for the cause of death and remanded the case for further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's in-service conditions and their potential impact on her death.,VA treatment from August 9, 2015 to August 17, 2015 is under review to determine if it contributed to the Veteran’s death. The VA also needs to consider whether negligence or unforeseeable events caused the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Pneumonia, Kidney Failure, Multiorgan Failure
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 7, 2018
- Citation
- 18156273
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 18156273.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that none of the listed causes were related to his military service and no service-connected disability contributed to his death.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for cause of death, finding that his service-connected conditions did not contribute to his death. The evidence showed well-controlled heart symptoms prior to death and no causal relationship between anxiety and cardiopulmonary disease or renal failure.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 were not met.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain an adequate opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing toxic exposures during service and submitted medical literature.
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