The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his thyroid cancer did not contribute to his respiratory failure due to meningeal carcinomatosis.
The deciding factor: The examiner noted that the cause of death was reported as respiratory failure secondary to meningeal carcinomatosis, which is most often seen with lung/breast cancer or lymphoma. The veteran's papillary thyroid carcinoma did not commonly involve the brain and spinal cord, making it unlikely to be the cause of his meningeal carcinomatosis.
- Claimed conditions
- respiratory failure, cancer of meninges
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2002
- Citation
- 0204639
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0204639.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's causes of death were not found to be service-connected, as there was no credible evidence linking the conditions to his military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, including hypertension and diabetes mellitus type II, are presumed to be related to his service in the Republic of Vietnam. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death was respiratory failure caused by hepatic failure, hepatocellular cancer, and chronic hepatitis C infection.,Service connection for the cause of death is granted as his alcohol and substance abuse were secondary to his service-connected PTSD.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the severance of service connected death benefits was improper and grants the appeal.
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