The Board found that the veteran's cause of death, metastatic adenocarcinoma of unknown primary, was not caused or aggravated by his military service. The VA examiner opined that the in-service pneumonia did not contribute to the development of the cancer.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the in-service episode of pneumonia did not likely cause the veteran's subsequent adenocarcinoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic adenocarcinoma of unknown primary, low-grade lymphoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2004
- Citation
- 0426541
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 0426541.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate development, and a new VA opinion is needed regarding the cause of death.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his metastatic adenocarcinoma was likely due to a primary lung cancer, which is presumed to be related to his exposure to herbicide agents during service.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and his DIC benefits claim under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is denied due to the lack of continuous total disability rating for at least five years prior to death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's metastatic adenocarcinoma and his periods of active service, as well as whether it was proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected malaria.
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