The Veteran's cause of death, cardiorespiratory failure and COVID-19 pneumonia, is not etiologically related to his service or any exposure during service.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show a causal relationship between the Veteran's military service and his cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiorespiratory failure, COVID-19 pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2024
- Citation
- A24071931
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 785 · Granted: 34% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A24071931.
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 inadequate medical opinions and potential pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The claim for service connection for a respiratory disability is pending, with specific issues regarding COPD.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's causes of death to service or a service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death, to include cardiorespiratory failure and stomach cancer, due to a duty to assist error in not ensuring an adequate medical opinion was obtained.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for lung disability, diagnosed as asbestosis, benign fibrotic nodule of the lung, COVID-19 pneumonia, loculated right-sided parapneumonic pleural effusion, left upper lobectomy with persistent small left pleural effusion and COPD.
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