The Veteran's death was not caused by or proximately due to VA medical treatment, and the Board finds that there is no evidence of fault on the part of VA. As a result, DIC compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's postoperative bleeding was expected and not caused by any negligent or mismanagement by the medical team at the Gainesville VAMC.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute renal failure, Overwhelming sepsis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 8, 2021
- Citation
- 21073429
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 21073429.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to obtain an adequate opinion regarding the cause of death and its relation to service, including in-service dental treatment. The Veteran died from acute renal failure, metastatic melanoma, cerebral metastasis, or seizure disorder.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there are duty to assist errors in the current decision and remands the case for further development, including obtaining an ILER and a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cause of death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran's death was caused by an intraabdominal hemorrhage, acute myocardial infarction, and acute renal failure. The appeal is remanded to obtain a medical opinion on whether these conditions are related to in-service exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for cause of death due to a lack of credible evidence linking the Veteran's cancer, which caused his death, to toxic exposure at Fort McClellan during service. The Board concluded that there was no causal link between the claimed exposure and the Veteran's condition.
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