The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, attributing it to liver cancer which was not shown in service or within one year post-service. The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's service-connected disabilities to his death and concluded that there is no positive association between exposure to herbicides and any other condition.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there is no positive association between the veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during service and liver cancer, which was not shown in service or within one year post-service.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatocellular cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2005
- Citation
- 0526214
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 0526214.
What this means for you
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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 was respiratory failure caused by hepatic failure, hepatocellular cancer, and chronic hepatitis C infection.,Service connection for the cause of death is granted as his alcohol and substance abuse were secondary to his service-connected PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 60 percent for hepatitis B with cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular cancer, as well as a separate disability rating. The AOJ must obtain a medical opinion to clarify the nature and severity of the Veteran's hepatocellular carcinoma during the entire appellate period on review.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C with cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular cancer is service-connected, as there is at least a reasonable doubt in favor of this determination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's hepatocellular cancer and service, as well as the role of his prostate cancer in causing death. The VA will need to obtain additional medical opinions.
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