The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and the appellant did not meet the requirements for nonservice-connected death pension benefits. Therefore, both DIC and death pension claims were denied.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran’s lung cancer, COPD, and coronary artery disease were not related to his period of active duty or any service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- lung cancer, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20067706
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, type II, left eye diabetic retinopathy, left foot diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right foot diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and coronary artery disease, as well as the Veteran's cause of death.
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