The Board denied the request to reopen the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, as well as entitlement to survivor pension benefits and accrued benefits. The decision was based on the Appellant's income exceeding VA's maximum annual pension limit.
The deciding factor: The Appellant's income exceeded the maximum annual pension limit set by law, making her ineligible for survivor pension benefits and accrued benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161562
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,549 · Granted: 29% (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 19161562.
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: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma, which is related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents and/or service-connected PTSD. The appeal for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has partially vacated the decision regarding reopening service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death due to new evidence. The claim is now reopened, and the case is remanded for further development including a VA opinion on whether Agent Orange exposure or PTSD contributed to the Veteran's death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death and for dependency and indemnity compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that neither condition was related to his military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
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