The Board denied service connection for the cause of death and entitlement to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) as there was no evidence linking the Veteran's causes of death to his active service.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of record linking the Veteran's primary or contributory causes of death to his active service, particularly given that he did not have any service-connected disabilities at the time of his death and had a history of alcohol use disorder which was not related to an underlying disability from his active service.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiorgan system failure, Liver cirrhosis, Pneumonia, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Duodenal ulcer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 29, 2025
- Citation
- A25047626
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The appeal for service connection for PTSD was dismissed, and the claims for a compensable rating for the lower back scar, service connection for COPD, and peripheral artery disease were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, COPD, a gastrointestinal disability, and migraines due to lack of evidence supporting a link between these conditions and her military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain an adequate opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing toxic exposures during service and submitted medical literature.
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