The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm is not attributable to his military service or herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the Veteran’s thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm to his military service or herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastrointestinal hemorrhage, Aortoduodenal fistula, Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19125794
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 claim for service connection of the cause of death to obtain a medical opinion regarding any relationship between the Veteran's causes of death and service or toxic exposures.
- Remanded (sent back)
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- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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