The veteran's cause of death, carcinomatosis with the gallbladder as the primary site, is presumed to be related to his exposure to herbicides during service in Vietnam. The VA has determined that he had a service-connected disability (PTSD and shell fragment wound residuals) which was not the principal or contributory cause of his death.
The deciding factor: The veteran's fatal cancer was found to be associated with Agent Orange exposure, and his service-connected disabilities did not contribute substantially to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- carcinomatosis, sarcomatoid carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 23, 2004
- Citation
- 0416475
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 999 · Granted: 31% (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 0416475.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death is determined to be related to service-connected prostate cancer, which was caused by metastasis and resulted in carcinomatosis. The Board finds that the evidence supports granting service connection for the Veteran's cause of death.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by carcinomatosis, which is presumed to be related to Agent Orange exposure during service. The claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death has been granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death was related to his military service, specifically Agent Orange exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by his military service or any of his service-connected conditions, and there is no evidence linking the cause of death to exposure to herbicide agents.
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