The Veteran's cause of death was asystole due to acute respiratory failure and multi-organ dysfunction. The Board found no evidence that any service-connected disability contributed to the Veteran's death, nor did VA treatment contribute to his death. Therefore, the claim for service connection for cause of death is denied.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that any service-connected disability caused or contributed substantially or materially to cause 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
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 remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, for purposes of entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), as further development is necessary.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's acute respiratory failure is related to service, including participation in a toxic exposure risk activity as a fire crewman.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new medical opinion to address whether the Veteran's asbestos exposure contributed to his death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that none of his service-connected disabilities caused or substantially contributed to his death.
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