The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected condition, and therefore his cause of death is not eligible for VA compensation. The burial benefits claim also failed as the Veteran did not have any pending claims at the time of his death.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence showing that the Veteran’s conditions were related to his military service or any other service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- end-stage liver disease due to alcoholism, hepatic encephalopathy, terminal restlessness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20012091
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 20012091.
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.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and its secondary effects on other conditions, including cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes mellitus type II, esophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy, and splenomegaly.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore his surviving spouse is denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of his death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's spouse is denied eligibility for a VA home loan guaranty benefit due to the absence of service-connected disabilities and the death not being caused by a service-connected condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, for purposes of entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), as further development is necessary.
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