The Board denied the claim for dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) based upon service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's cause of death to his military service.
The deciding factor: The probative evidence weighed against a finding that the Veteran's COPD or thalassemia anemia were related to his military service and did not contribute substantially to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Cardiopulmonary arrest, COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), Thalassemia anemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2025
- Citation
- 25015175
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 699 · Granted: 12% (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 25015175.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there is no competent evidence linking any principal or contributory cause of his death to his service.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, listed as cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to myocardial infraction, was not service-connected. The Board found no evidence linking the heart condition to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in duty to assist, specifically regarding toxic exposure exposures during service and their impact on the Veteran's cause of death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence linking his death to his military service.
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