The cause of the Veteran's death, pleural effusion and chylothorax, is not related to service or a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: There is no medical opinion or competent and credible evidence that supports service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.
- Claimed conditions
- pleural effusion, chylothorax
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005826
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 remands the claims for service connection for pleural effusion, pericarditis, chronic, lung changes, left, lung scarring, left, and pericardial effusion to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher disability ratings for lumbosacral strain, thoracic strain, right posterior lyric lesion SI joint, dextroscoliosis, scarring/atelectasis of left lower lobe, nonspecific mild pulmonary hyperinflation, pleural effusion, residuals of COVID-19, and unspecified anxiety disorder.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an increased rating for pleural effusion was dismissed because the veteran died while the appeal was pending.
- Denied
The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for additional disability of the lung, including pneumothorax and pleural effusion, as a result of VA medical and surgical treatment.
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