The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that the cancer which caused his death was not incurred in or aggravated by military service.
The deciding factor: Service connection could not be established as the disease (nasopharyngeal carcinoma) is not a condition presumed to have been incurred due to exposure to herbicides and there was no evidence of direct causation.
- Claimed conditions
- hypercalcemia, malignancy/nasopharyngeal carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2003
- Citation
- 0304747
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,710 · Granted: 15% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0304747.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was due to tongue cancer (metastatic) and hypercalcemia. The Board denied service connection for the cause of death as there is no evidence linking the tongue cancer or hypercalcemia to service, including exposure to herbicides or contaminated water from Camp Lejeune.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the claims for service connection for hypercalcemia and infections of the skin (staphylococcus aureus, status post insect bite) due to the Veteran's withdrawal request. The claims for hypertension and diabetes mellitus type II on a basis other than the PACT Act are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of an examination and medical opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions, as these symptoms may be related to other non-service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for hypercalcemia/gout, finding that the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his active service is related to his current condition.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
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.