The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his hepatorenal syndrome/renal failure and liver failure were not related to his period of active service or any service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence linking the Veteran’s death to his service-connected right foot fracture residuals with arthropathy or to the medication prescribed for it, concluding that the cause was more likely due to alcohol abuse and cirrhosis of the liver.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatorenal syndrome/renal failure, liver failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161634
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 19161634.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the appellant's claim for entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's heart condition, liver condition, or hepatitis C began during active service or were otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, liver failure due to cardiac cirrhosis, as it was not caused by or substantially contributed to by an event, injury, or disease incurred in active military service, including presumed herbicide exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for liver failure due to a duty to assist error. An addendum opinion is needed from a VA examiner regarding the etiology of the Veteran's liver failure, including autoimmune hepatitis, and whether it is at least as likely as not caused by exposure to environmental hazards during his Gulf War service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to liver failure and complications from a liver transplant, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or any service-connected disabilities.
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