The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his service-connected conditions did not contribute to his death and assigning greater probative weight to medical evidence.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that none of the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities caused or contributed to his cause of death, including sarcoidosis which was claimed as a possible link to COPD and pneumonia.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD, severe pneumonia, deep vein thrombosis, chronic kidney disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 29, 2020
- Citation
- A20019307
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A20019307.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current respiratory disability and active duty service. The VA examiner concluded that the COPD was more likely due to tobacco use rather than asbestos exposure in service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed as the appellant withdrew their request for a hearing and to continue with the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran meets the basic medical eligibility criteria for PCAFC benefits due to his need for personal care services based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury. However, further clinical evaluation is needed to determine if participation in the program is in the Veteran's best interest.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic kidney disease, effective January 30, 1998. The decision is based on newly associated service treatment records that were not previously considered in the original denial of the claim.
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