The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, finding that there was no evidence showing that any service-connected disability caused or contributed to his death. The Veteran's cause of death was listed as massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding due to esophageal and gastric varices, and hepatitic C cirrhosis with portal hypertension.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities (diabetes mellitus type II, peripheral neuropathy, and hypertension) did not singly or in combination cause his death. The expert medical examiner concluded that these conditions were unrelated to the Veteran's cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes mellitus type II, Peripheral neuropathy, Hypertension, Alcoholism, Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar disorder, PTSD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19119500
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,913 · Granted: 30% (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 19119500.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient findings regarding PTSD and depression, requiring a new VA examination.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
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