The Board found that neither a service-connected disability nor active service, including the veteran's radiation exposure, is the principal or contributory cause of his death. The veteran died from metastatic bladder cancer.
The deciding factor: There was no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's cause of death to a service-connected disability or active service, including his radiation exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic bladder cancer, adenocarcinoma of the prostate gland
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Ionizing radiation
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2006
- Citation
- 0601921
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,467 · Granted: 18% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0601921.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his metastatic bladder cancer was likely incurred in or caused by his active service due to exposure to toxic chemicals, including benzene.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death was metastatic bladder cancer, which is a presumptive condition due to herbicide exposure. The effective date for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death has been granted as April 1, 2018.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of death due to metastatic bladder cancer, finding that the evidence is in approximate balance as to whether the Veteran's condition was related to his military service. The appeal is granted.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further investigation and adjudication regarding service connection for cause of death due to exposure to hazardous contaminants other than radiation at Kirtland Air Force Base, and for a claim under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 related to negligence in performing an incomplete resection surgery.
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