The Veteran's death was ruled as natural and caused by hypoxic respiratory failure and Covid 19 viral pneumonia. The VA determined that these conditions did not have their onset in service, nor are they otherwise causally related to any disease or injury during his service.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the cause of death (hypoxic respiratory failure and Covid 19 viral pneumonia) to any disease or injury during service.
- Claimed conditions
- hypoxic respiratory failure, Covid 19 viral pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2022
- Citation
- A22026116
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 A22026116.
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: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of death and migraine headaches, but denied an increased rating for PTSD.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the cause of death and contributory causes. The Veteran's cause of death is attributed to interstitial lung disease, which may be related to asbestos exposure, but other conditions like chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, peripheral arterial occlusive disease, hypothyroidism, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension are also considered.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, hypoxic respiratory failure, was found to be caused by or as a consequence of his service-connected lung cancer. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death based on evidence that the Veteran's lung cancer was due to asbestos exposure during service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was caused by multiple conditions, including diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and hyperlipidemia. The Board found that these conditions were not service-connected.,The appellant sought service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to his service, but provided no specific evidence supporting this claim.
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