The VA denied the claim that the veteran's cause of death was related to his military service, including exposure to herbicides. The Board found that hepatocellular carcinoma did not arise from his time in Vietnam and concluded that tinnitus did not hasten his death.
The deciding factor: Service connection for the cause of the veteran's death could not be established as hepatocellular carcinoma was not related to his military service, and there was no evidence showing that his tinnitus contributed to or hastened his death.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatocellular carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2002
- Citation
- 0200340
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 0200340.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hepatocellular carcinoma, which is secondary to hepatitis C, has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for service connection of kidney cancer and liver cancer, finding that no formal or informal claims were filed prior to February 12, 2025.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to reconsider the claim for DIC. The AOJ will now review the case in light of all available evidence.
- Granted
The Board has granted the claim of service connection for hepatocellular carcinoma, finding that it was aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.
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