The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to prostate cancer, concluding that it was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and could not be presumed to have been so incurred.
The deciding factor: Prostate cancer was not shown during service or within a presumptive period following service, and there is no evidence linking it to an in-service disease or injury, including exposure to ionizing radiation. The Board found that the veteran's death should not be service-connected based on the merits of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Prostate cancer
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2002
- Citation
- 0202656
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 0202656.
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 restored the Veteran's 100 percent disability rating for his service-connected prostate cancer, effective September 1, 2024.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a higher disability rating for PTSD and granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, while denying service connection for prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, and nuclear sclerosis and dry eye syndrome.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection and higher initial rating were dismissed due to concurrent election of review options.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a retrospective VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's Parkinson disease, prostate cancer, or OSA are related to his service.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.