The Board found that the veteran's death was not proximately due to or the result of a disease or injury incurred in service, including exposure to herbicides. The cause of death was metastatic adenocarcinoma of pancreatic origin, which is not presumed to have been incurred in service. The appellant's claims for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits were also denied.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was no evidence linking the veteran's fatal cancer to his military service or exposure to herbicides.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic adenocarcinoma of pancreatic origin, hiatal hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2003
- Citation
- 0313110
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 0313110.
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.
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- Partly granted
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatal hernia, stage 3 chronic kidney disease, varicose veins of the right lower extremity, and varicose veins of the left lower extremity as there was no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's service.
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