The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and the Board found that his failure to thrive was not due to his PTSD. The cause of death was attributed to liver cancer with metastasis to pancreas.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran’s PTSD contributed substantially or materially to his cause of death, as evidenced by the VA examination and medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- Liver cancer, Anemia, Failure to thrive
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19124559
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,726 · Granted: 19% (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 19124559.
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 has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for liver cancer, finding that there is no evidence to support a causal relationship between his in-service exposures and his diagnosed liver cancer. The medical opinion provided by VA concluded that the liver cancer was not caused by or aggravated by any of the conditions listed.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's hemorrhoids were rated at 20 percent from June 13, 2011. The Board found that the evidence demonstrated persistent bleeding and anemia secondary to the hemorrhoids throughout this period.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's effective date for SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance is set to March 11, 2021. He was granted a higher level of SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(p) at level (n).
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's liver, lung, brain, and bone cancers in relation to his service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
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