The Veteran's cause of death was listed as COPD, CHF, and cirrhosis. The VA denied the claim for service connection for cause of death due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his service or any presumptive exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found no evidence that COPD, CHF, or cirrhosis were incurred in service or related to service, including as a result of herbicide agent exposure. The Veteran was not diagnosed with CAD and DM did not contribute to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD, CHF, cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20000361
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 service connection for COPD, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's respiratory condition and his military service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions and a TDIU, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's COPD precluded him from obtaining and maintaining substantial gainful employment, warranting a Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).
- Denied
The Board denied an effective date earlier than August 10, 2022, for the grant of a 60 percent rating for sarcoidosis, asthma, chronic bronchitis, and COPD.
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