The Board denied the claim for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, finding that the Veteran's death was not due to VA treatment.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA medical professionals found no evidence of carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or similar instances of fault on VA’s part in furnishing care, and thus did not find that VA’s treatment caused the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- inanition, arteriosclerotic vascular disease, advanced age
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 21, 2018
- Citation
- 18160119
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 18160119.
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 has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including vascular disease, OSA, CHF, pulmonary hypertension, arteriosclerotic vascular disease, GERD, renal disease and/or failure, and hemosiderosis of the liver, as these conditions are not shown to be related to service or a service-connected disability.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him so helpless as to require the regular aid and attendance of another person to perform personal care functions of everyday living or to protect him from the hazards and dangers incident to his daily environment, leading to a grant of SMC based on need for regular aid and attendance.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's death, and no jurisdiction remains for the merits of the claims.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional information regarding possible exposure to herbicide agents and to secure a medical opinion on the nature and etiology of her service-connected conditions, including vascular disease, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), congestive heart failure (CHF), pulmonary hypertension, arteriosclerotic vascular disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), renal disease and/or failure, and hemosiderosis of the liver.
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