The Board found that the veteran's service-connected varicose veins did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from sepsis with neutropenia due to squamous cell carcinoma, head and neck.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions concluded that the veteran's service-connected varicose veins did not play a role in causing or contributing to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Squamous cell carcinoma, head and neck
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2002
- Citation
- 0203182
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 0203182.
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 granted service connection for residuals of a skin condition, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for aortic valve disease, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and hypertension as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during or are related to active service. The claims for squamous cell carcinoma and chloracne were remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for aortic valve disease, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and hypertension as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during or are related to active service. The claims for squamous cell carcinoma, chloracne, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy were remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for tinnitus and squamous cell carcinoma due to a need for further development.
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