The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death and denied DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 due to lack of evidence linking the causes of death (acute leukemia and lactic acidosis) to military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no evidence showing that the Veteran's active duty service caused or contributed substantially to his cause of death, acute leukemia and lactic acidosis.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute leukemia, Lactic acidosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19184622
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 has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and conflicting evidence on the Veteran's cause of death. The Appellant is seeking service connection for cause of death, but there are issues with the medical documentation provided.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to acute leukemia and essential thrombocythemia / myelofibrosis, finding that the Veteran's skin condition (eczematoid dermatitis) was not related to his military service or his service-connected disability.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome were not incurred in or aggravated by service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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