The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to gastrointestinal bleeding, decompensated cirrhosis of the liver, and aspiration pneumonia. The evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's active duty service.
The deciding factor: There was no medical evidence linking the Veteran’s death to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- gastrointestinal bleeding, decompensated cirrhosis of the liver, aspiration pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20037029
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 20037029.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 50 percent rating for the Veteran's cirrhosis of the liver with portal hypertension, Wilson's disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, and pancreatitis based on a history of one episode of hemorrhage from portal gastropathy.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal. The Board cannot issue a decision on the underlying claims at this time.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in duty to assist and exposure to TERA at Fort Hamilton. The cause of death was listed as gastrointestinal bleeding with hypertensive cardiovascular disease contributing significantly.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of evidence regarding the Veteran's service in Guam or American Samoa, which could affect his presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure under the PACT Act.
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