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
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 Board denied service connection for hepatocellular carcinoma as the evidence did not support a link to in-service exposure or injury.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hepatocellular carcinoma, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between the condition and his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates, as well as service connection for various conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for hepatocellular carcinoma to obtain an adequate medical nexus opinion.
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