The Board denied the appellant's claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of her husband's death, finding no competent medical evidence linking any of the veteran's diagnoses (including his service-connected disabilities) to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA doctor concluded that there was no evidence showing that any of the veteran's active disease entities could be attributed to the presence of fragments of shrapnel in his head and neck region or, as such, to his in-service shrapnel wounds.
- Claimed conditions
- Pneumonia, Metastatic brain tumor, Pancreatic carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2002
- Citation
- 0213635
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 0213635.
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 the cause of the Veteran's death, determining that his fatal lung cancer was related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain an adequate opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing toxic exposures during service and submitted medical literature.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a VA examination to address all respiratory disabilities found or shown during the appeal period and to determine their relationship to service, including exposure to toxic or environmental hazards.
- Granted
The Board granted compensation pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the cause of the Veteran's death, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the appellant.
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