The veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the claims for service connection related to undiagnosed illnesses were denied as there was no pending claim at the time of his death.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence that the veteran had a pending claim for benefits based on these symptoms at the time of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Hodgkin's lymphoma, Shortness of breath (manifestation of an undiagnosed illness), Fatigue (manifestation of an undiagnosed illness), Joint pain (manifestation of an undiagnosed illness)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 30, 2000
- Citation
- 0031222
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 0031222.
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 Hodgkin's lymphoma, finding that the Veteran was exposed to commercial herbicides and pesticides during her service on Galeta Island in Panama, which contributed to her development of Hodgkin's lymphoma.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for PTSD, asthma disorder, and Hodgkin's lymphoma to correct a pre-decisional error of the duty to assist.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an earlier effective date and TDIU due to duty-to-assist errors, including unaddressed exposure to AFFF and a missing medical opinion on etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection of Hodgkin's lymphoma, scars secondary to Hodgkin's lymphoma, and vitiligo as secondary to Hodgkin's lymphoma, all based on the PACT Act.
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