The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore DIC benefits are denied.
The deciding factor: No competent evidence suggests the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Metastatic melanoma, Liver failure, Acute kidney injury, Abscess of the right axilla
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 15, 2024
- Citation
- A24065533
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,077 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A24065533.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease, which is presumed to be related to Agent Orange exposure. The Veteran's cause of death was due to acute kidney injury and aortic valve replacement, both linked to his service-connected ischemic heart disease.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was not caused by or related to his service-connected conditions, and there is no evidence that the causes of death were due to herbicide exposure. Service connection for cause of death is denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for acute kidney injury, finding that it is related to an in-service physical fitness test injury during inactive duty training.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.