The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as there was no evidence that any of his service-connected disabilities contributed to or caused his death.
The deciding factor: The examiner determined the Veteran's service connected disabilities did not contribute substantially or materially or aid or lent assistance to the Veteran's cause of death and it was less likely than not that the Veteran's cause of death was due to herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Cardiac arrhythmia, Renal failure, Cardiopulmonary respiratory failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25045062
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that it was related to in-service symptoms indicating kidney disease caused by systemic lupus erythematosus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under 38 USC 1318 due to a need for a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's causes of death, considering toxic exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for cardiac arrhythmia, functional abdominal pain syndrome/abdominal pain and bloating, other than IBS or GERD, and respiratory insufficiency (dyspnea) due to duty to assist errors in the VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and to correct duty-to-assist errors, including verifying Persian Gulf service and obtaining additional medical opinions.
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.