The veteran's cause of death was not caused or significantly contributed to by any service-connected disability, and the Board denied service connection for his cause of death as there is no evidence that he served in Vietnam or its offshore waters.
The deciding factor: The VA Office of General Counsel determined that service in the airspace above the Republic of Vietnam does not constitute actual service in the Republic of Vietnam or its offshore waters for purposes of meeting the regulatory requirements to be entitled to the presumptions of exposure to chemical herbicides.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple myeloma, Hypercalcemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 27, 2001
- Citation
- 0112099
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 0112099.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for further development, including obtaining a new medical nexus opinion and addressing potential exposure to herbicides and asbestos.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of death, finding that the Veteran's service-connected multiple myeloma contributed substantially or materially to his death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, skin cancer, a prostate disorder, and a bladder disorder due to the lack of competent evidence supporting these claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of multiple myeloma to obtain additional evidence and an adequate medical opinion.
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