The Veteran died from gastrointestinal bleeding caused by alcohol use. The Board found that the cause of death was not related to service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a link between the Veteran's service-connected condition and his cause of death, nor could it be determined if the gastrointestinal bleeding was secondary to a service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastrointestinal bleeding, Alcohol use
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19109903
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,035 · Granted: 30% (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 19109903.
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 the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there is no evidence to support a causal relationship between the Veteran's military service and his death from gastrointestinal bleeding and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding no evidence linking his respiratory failure, pneumonia, malignant neoplasm of the esophagus, gastrointestinal bleeding, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to his military service, including exposure to herbicides and Camp Lejeune contaminated water.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient clarification on whether the Veteran's AML was linked to his service, specifically his exposure to herbicides while in Vietnam. The Appellant is seeking direct service connection for AML.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the DIC claim for a VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's death was caused by delayed care and inappropriate treatment at the Fresno VAMC. The service connection claim is also being remanded for a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hepatitis C was related to his military service.
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