The Board denied the claim as there was no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's cause of death to his period of active service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's cause of death to his period of active service, including nicotine dependence or schizophrenia that may have resulted from service.
- Claimed conditions
- carcinoma of the lung, prostate
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2000
- Citation
- 0000149
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0000149.
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: Granted
The Veteran was granted compensation under 38 U.S.C. 1151 for trauma to his prostate, urethra, bladder and erectile dysfunction caused by a foley catheter being accidentally pulled out during back surgery performed by VA in March 2019.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and the Board denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of his death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is requesting that the AOJ adjudicate whether revision of a March 2006 rating decision which awarded a 100 percent disability rating for carcinoma of the liver and carcinoma of the lung, resulting in the continuation of SMC (L) for aid and attendance, is warranted due to clear and unmistakable error. The Board finds this constitutes pre-decisional error and remands the matter.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient examination reports and missing records. The Veteran's prostate condition is related to his in-service injury, but the examiner did not have access to all relevant medical records. The psychiatric claim requires a second opportunity for an examination as the Veteran may have missed the first one due to lack of communication.
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.