The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to bladder cancer and brain metastasis, finding that there was no evidence linking the veteran's condition to his military service or exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support a presumption of service connection based on herbicide exposure, and the Board found insufficient evidence to establish direct service connection for the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute respiratory distress, Brain metastasis, Bladder carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 26, 2002
- Citation
- 0218716
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 0218716.
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
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- Denied
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