The Veteran's death was not caused by or the result of service, and VA did not cause his death through negligence. The Board denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of death, compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, and DIC.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not establish that any condition related to the Veteran's death was caused by or aggravated by VA care or treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- Anoxic brain injury, Cardiac arrest, Acute bacterial pneumonia, Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19164230
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 19164230.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, for purposes of receiving DIC, based on a finding that his AML was related to in-service herbicide exposure and contributed substantially to his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's acute myelogenous leukemia was related to his service, including potential exposures to benzene and Agent Orange.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 100 percent rating for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) from January 22, 2016, to October 31, 2017, and a noncompensable rating from November 1, 2017. The Veteran's earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for hemorrhoids, anal fissures, pruritus ani, skin disability, and eye disability were also granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to obtain relevant SSA records that could provide information pertinent to the Veteran's appeal.
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