The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance benefits under Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code.
The deciding factor: The Board found that neither the veteran's hepatocellular carcinoma, leukemia, coronary artery disease nor chronic obstructive lung disease was incurred in or aggravated by service; nor may any of these conditions be presumed to have been incurred in service. The Board also determined that a service-connected disability did not cause or contribute substantially or materially to cause the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- hypoglycemic coma, hepatocellular carcinoma, acute myelogenous leukemia, hepatoma, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive lung disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 25, 2004
- Citation
- 0405276
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 0405276.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for coronary artery disease, which is presumed related to in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, type II, left eye diabetic retinopathy, left foot diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right foot diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and coronary artery disease, as well as the Veteran's cause of death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hepatocellular carcinoma as the evidence did not support a link to in-service exposure or injury.
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