The Veteran's death was not due to any negligence or service-connected disability, but rather a complication of his hernia. The nerve damage and renal failure were not caused by VA medical treatment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died from cardiac arrest related to bowel incarceration in an abdominal hernia, which was unrelated to VA care or service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic renal failure, Hernia (specifically, abdominal hernia), Nerve damage of the right upper extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19109472
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19109472.
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 denied DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that VA did not provide carelessness, negligence, or lack of proper skill in furnishing medical treatment.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's congestive heart failure, aortic stenosis, and chronic renal failure and his conceded exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining a VA medical opinion regarding the cause of death and whether peptic ulcer is related to service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by encephalopathy, which is linked to his exposure to Agent Orange during service. The appeal for DIC based on service connection for the cause of death is granted. The appeal for accrued benefits is dismissed as all claims have been addressed.
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