The Veteran's cause of death was asystole due to acute respiratory failure and multi-organ dysfunction. The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran’s disabilities to his military service, and thus denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of death and DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.
The deciding factor: The unavailability of VA in-service treatment records prevented a determination on whether any disability incurred or aggravated by active service was the principle or contributory cause of the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- asystole, acute respiratory failure, multi-organ dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19102992
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,446 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19102992.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for the cause of death and burial benefits due to a lack of medical opinion regarding the Veteran's exposure at Camp Lejeune, which could impact his eligibility for these benefits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his cause of death. The examiner is requested to address if the Veteran's service-connected disabilities were a principal or contributory cause of death and if they contributed substantially or materially to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore his surviving spouse is denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's in-service injury and breathing complaints caused his death. The appellant seeks service connection for the cause of death, which is related to exposure to toxins in service and an in-service injury involving machinery.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.