The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, as there was no evidence of radiation exposure during his military service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is denied.
The deciding factor: The veteran did not have sufficient exposure to ionizing radiation during his military service in Japan and therefore could not be considered a 'radiation-exposed veteran' under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple myeloma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2001
- Citation
- 0126959
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 0126959.
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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