The Board found that the veteran's adenocarcinoma, which caused his death in 1999, was not incurred or aggravated by service. The exposure to ionizing radiation during active duty service did not meet the criteria for a presumption of service connection due to radiation exposure.
The deciding factor: The veteran served as a Merchant Marine from April 1942 to August 15, 1945 and was in Hiroshima on October 1945. However, he was not within the designated area (within 150 miles of Nagasaki) during the time of the atomic bomb detonation.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic adenocarcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 2, 2005
- Citation
- 0512101
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 0512101.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his exposure to asbestos during active duty was a contributing factor.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's metastatic adenocarcinoma is related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents, including Agent Orange. As a result, service connection for this condition is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an open medical question regarding whether the Veteran's diabetes was a contributory factor in his death, and for obtaining an opinion from an oncologist on this issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasoning in its decision and the need for a medical opinion regarding the Veteran's alcohol use disorder and service-connected disabilities.
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