The Board denied the claim of entitlement to DIC compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 because there is no evidence that VA's care, treatment, or examination caused the Veteran’s death.
The deciding factor: The September 2020 VA examiner determined that the treatment provided by VA did not proximately cause the Veteran’s death due to either carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on the part of VA in furnishing the care, treatment, or examination.
- Claimed conditions
- Liver cancer, Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2021
- Citation
- 21015590
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 21015590.
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 Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for liver cancer, finding that there is no evidence to support a causal relationship between his in-service exposures and his diagnosed liver cancer. The medical opinion provided by VA concluded that the liver cancer was not caused by or aggravated by any of the conditions listed.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's liver, lung, brain, and bone cancers in relation to his service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for liver cancer and cholecystectomy to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors related to toxic exposure risk activities.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new VA addendum opinion to determine if the Veteran's liver cancer and hepatitis C are related to his active service, including exposure to agent orange.
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