The Veteran's cause of death was listed as respiratory failure and end stage disability. The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death because there is no evidence that a service-connected disability caused or contributed to his death. The claim for dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 was also denied due to the Veteran not meeting the criteria for total disability rating for at least 10 years prior to his death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is no evidence linking a service-connected condition to the cause of death, and the Veteran did not meet the requirement of having a service-connected disability rated as totally disabling for at least 10 years immediately preceding his death.
- Claimed conditions
- respiratory failure, end stage disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 3, 2020
- Citation
- A20016320
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 A20016320.
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: Denied
The Veteran's causes of death were not found to be service-connected, as there was no credible evidence linking the conditions to his military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, including hypertension and diabetes mellitus type II, are presumed to be related to his service in the Republic of Vietnam. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death was respiratory failure caused by hepatic failure, hepatocellular cancer, and chronic hepatitis C infection.,Service connection for the cause of death is granted as his alcohol and substance abuse were secondary to his service-connected PTSD.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the severance of service connected death benefits was improper and grants the appeal.
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