The Board found no evidence of a service-connected condition that caused the veteran's death, and there was no indication of exposure to herbicides in Vietnam. The claim for service connection for cause of death is denied.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient medical evidence linking any current disability to active service or post-service presumptive conditions related to Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- undifferentiated (anaplastic) carcinoma (possible sweat gland primary), metastatic to right axillary lymph nodes, right and left lungs, liver, right chest cavity with direct superficial invasion of vertebrae (T2-T7), lateral right chest wall, right adrenal gland
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 19, 2000
- Citation
- 0016216
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 0016216.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was not related to his military service, and he did not meet the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and updating his military personnel file. The claims are being remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the claimed disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for service connection for metastatic adenocarcinoma, including colon, liver, lungs, and brain cancer, was dismissed due to his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding treatment records and a need for an addendum opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's cancer.
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