The Veteran's cause of death was listed as liver failure and metastatic gastric cancer. The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his liver failure and metastatic gastric cancer did not have onset during his military service, were not etiologically related to service, including exposure to herbicide agents, and were not secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence linking the Veteran's liver failure and metastatic gastric cancer to his military service or any service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Liver Failure, Metastatic Gastric Cancer
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2022
- Citation
- 22072072
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 22072072.
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: Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by metabolic and respiratory acidosis due to hepatic encephalopathy, liver failure, and chronic liver disease. The Board found that the Veteran's alcohol abuse in an attempt to self-medicate his PTSD symptoms contributed to the development of his liver conditions and ultimately led to his death.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to his service-connected PTSD, which contributed substantially or materially to his death. The claims for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 and § 1318 are dismissed as moot.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions including bilateral knee and ankle disorders, liver failure, prostate cancer, multiple myeloma, respiratory cancer, and soft tissue sarcoma. The Veteran's PTSD was granted a 70% rating.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected seizure disorder did not cause or contribute substantially to his death due to liver cirrhosis and related complications, which were not shown to be causally related to service.
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