The Board denied service connection for the cause of death and DIC benefits due to the Veteran's alcoholism, which was considered willful misconduct. The Veteran did not have a service-connected disability at the time of his death.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died from acute and chronic alcoholism, which is considered willful misconduct under VA regulations. There were no service-connected disabilities that contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Alcoholism, Cardiomegaly
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19173639
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 19173639.
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.
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- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted an effective date of January 9, 2018 for the award of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) based on the cause of death due to acute myocardial infarction. The decision is final as it relates back to the date entitlement arose.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for PTSD was dismissed due to an improper concurrent election of review options, and the claim for alcoholism was denied as a matter of law.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of the cause of the Veteran's death to obtain a medical opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected lower back disability and his multiple heart disabilities, including obesity.
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